


Décalcomanie

by yuni3010



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Parents, Alternative Lifestyles, Angst with a Happy Ending, Domestic Fluff, Enemies to Lovers, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Hate to Love, Love/Hate, M/M, Mpreg, Parental Trap! Au, Post-Divorce, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-07-22
Packaged: 2018-09-16 18:08:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 74,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9283796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuni3010/pseuds/yuni3010
Summary: Almost ten years after their divorce, Byun Baekhyun and Park Chanyeol met again in a hospital.Each one has a defined life already: Baekhyun in Japan with his daughter, Byun Dahyun, and Chanyeol in Korea with his daughter, Park Joohyun. However, as fate would have had it, a nasty accident leave their twins in critical condition, and they are now stuck trying to tolerate each other for the sake of their girls.





	1. Part I

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by Lindsay Lohan's The Parental Trap. I was a little bored and feeling kind of sad, so I decided to write this while listening to Mamamoo's songs to get things out of my mind. I hope you enjoy it.

Park Joohyun was not like other kids around her age. While her classmates enjoyed doing any outdoor activity, returning home with their clothes wrinkled and partially covered in dirt, she preferred spending her afternoons locked up inside her room. Usually, she would be found against her favorite corner, with her nose buried deep down a book. She would be surrounded by plush cushions, and there would be, without fail, a glass of soy milk with a touch of cinnamon and vanilla (because she was lactose-intolerant), and a plate of some homemade oatmeal cookies by her side. If the afternoon was chilly, she would be covered by a thick Snoopy blanket.

There was no doubt that Chanyeol adored his daugther with every fiber of his being. They were best buddies. He always sought after what was best for his kid, prioritizing what made her the happiest and spoiling her to his content. She was a smart girl. They invested their time together doing what Joohyun liked the most: learning new recipes of extravagant foreign dishes, trying out food from fresh-on-the-market restaurants, going downtown for recitals, theatrical plays and classic concerts, or taking long walks around Busan in search of antique libraries where Joohyun had heard they could find original manuscripts. Everyone expected Joohyun to have a rotten, unstable character, since Chanyeol hardly knew how to deny her things, but, in reality, she was one of the politest, most diligent girls Chanyeol had ever seen (and he was not that biased).

Yet, as much as he valued every moment spent alone with his daugther, Chanyeol was starting to get worried. Joohyun had a pleasant character, but she did not like socializing. She mainly gave her undivided attention to her father and uncles, and her lack of social skills was apparently becoming an alarming issue. Joohyun’s teacher had asked to see him in private because of that. Mrs. Kim had praised his daughter’s sharp intelligence and dedication before dropping the bomb, harshly pointing out how disappointing her awkward behavior around others was. Chanyeol tried to coax her to understand his daughter’s innate shyness and how she, as the wise head of the classroom, should encourage other students to treat her with upmost patience. The teacher, however, had refused to listen to his reasoning. She had shooed him with a warning about his inefficient parental guide, giving him a colorful flyer of a summer camp held in Sokcho as her solution.

So, there he was, with a recently printed confirmation of his daugther’s enrollment in the camp, nervous to knock at Joohyun’s bedroom door. The summer camp would last a month, and Sokcho was far enough for his ten-years-old child to be at a safe distance from—in the sweet words of Mrs. Kim—‘Chanyeol’s overbearing protectiveness’. With his daugther six-hours away from him, Chanyeol was free to reflex upon the path of life he had chosen, and ponder about new alternatives to improve his daughter’s lifestyle and socially-productive habits.

It was, supposedly, a win-win situation.

“ _It’s going to be good for her_ ”, Kyungsoo had assured him while they were eating lunch that day. “ _Joohyun’s going to be forced to live out of your daddy radar, and you’ll have some space to think about yourself. You’ve not gone out in years, Yeol.”_

“ _But I don't want my baby breaking our bond now! It’s too early for that… I need at least six years more to prepare myself for this, Kyungsoo. And I do go out. In fact, I’m out more often than you._ ”

“ _You know what I mean, idiot—your downtown trips, where you follow your little princess like a lost puppy, don’t count. Stop being a clingy father and let the kid enjoy himself for once. You should do that as well._ ”

Let the kid enjoy himself.

He knocked, eyes fulminating the stupid piece of paper that would provoke his daughter’s premature departure. “Joohyun-ah? May I come in?”

Her soft response sent Chanyeol’s broken heart six feet under. “Yes, appa, you may.”

Chanyeol gulped and stiffly advanced inside. The pastel colors and plushy surfaces of his daughter’s bedroom created a soothing atmosphere, which served to calm his raging nerves. He just hoped his smart girl would see the situation as beneficial as Mrs. Kim and Kyungsoo had said, because Chanyeol could hardly do it.

He picked his daughter’s acoustic guitar from the twin-sized bed and took a seat, absently strumming the cords of the instrument. He did not know how to break the news to his lovely daugther without breaking her heart in the process.

“Baby, what do you think about traveling out of the city this summer?” 

Anticipation made Joohyun’s beautiful eyes shine, and turned her snow-white cheeks a little pink. She nodded in happiness, which made Chanyeol feel as the worst parent ever.

“If you have time, I wouldn’t mind, appa… Where are we going?”

“Well, I was thinking about visiting Sokcho…”

Joohyun gasped in sheer excitement. “We could go to Sinheungsa Temple—!”

“—and leaving you there for a summer camp.”

Chanyeol winced.

There was a tense silence, before his confused kid’s tragically whispered. “You mean I’ll be by… myself? Why?”

“Baby, don’t panic. Listen to appa.”

She just blinked, as calm as any ten-years-old could be. “But appa, I’m not… I just… I don’t understand…”

“I just thought this would be a good opportunity for you, princess. You can make some friends and try new things for fun, like playing volleyball or basketball. You surely have gotten the height for that, haven’t you?” He mentioned while putting his large hand over her head, as if he was measuring her. Indeed, she was taller than most of her classmates. “It’s going to be better than being stuck with appa for the rest of the summer, isn’t it?”

She grasped her ruffle-layered nightown. “Does appa want to get rid of me?”

Chanyeol yelped when he noticed his daughter’s watering eyes, jumping out of the bed to give Joohyun a tight hug. “No, princess, absolutely not! It’s not like that—at all! I’ve just realized I’m not giving you enough freedom to explore things by your own. I’m so sorry… appa’s sorry for not being good enough—I promise you I’ll do better. But I really want you to try this. Go over there and enjoy yourself as much as you can, baby. There will be a lot of activities you’ll like, such as music lessons, and painting... You’ll like it there!”

Joohyun did not say much after that.

* * *

Byun Dahyun was not like many girls around her age. She was overly energetic, and enjoyed playing outside with her classmates until she was soaked in mud and sweat from head to toes. If she was not setting some ridiculous prank or brain-storming a way to mess up an unfortunate adult’s day, she would be practicing one of her favorite sports with her friends. She would never be seen without her duffel bag, which was always equipped with an uniform, towels, a clean change of clothes and a first aid kit. a respective item would be always occupying her hands likewise: either a bat with a pair of hanging baseball gloves, or a shinai.

Baekhyun’s entire existence gravitated around his beloved daughter. He constantly took into account her opinions, however crazy they might sound, so Dahyun would later understand and trust his decisions regarding her wellbeing. They were a team that worked perfectly together.

Moving to Japan had not been an easy decision for Baekhyun. His blood was half-Japanese, but he had been raised solely on his father’s land, South Korea. After many financial struggles when Dahyun was a toddler, they had managed to settle in Osaka. His maternal grandparents owned a popular ryokan-styled inn and had offered them a roof over their heads even though they disliked him for his Korean-heritage. They profusely adored Dahyun, though, since his daughter’s playful mannerisms reminded them of his deceased mother and her easy character.

Honestly, he could not complain about his grandparents. They practically sponsored Dahyun’s education, refusing to let Baekhyun pay a penny. As a consequence, Baekhyun encouraged his daughter to be a disciplined student and do her best, since it was an appropriate way to show gratitude for their blessings. That was why, once Dahyun’s teacher informed him about his daughter’s grades dropping alarmingly low, he became extremely anxious. His girl was not the brightest bulb out of her classroom, but she was good at school. She was an optimistic fast-learner, and liked to do things right, after all. If she did not understand something, she would annoy anyone until she got an proper answer.

“Dahyun-ah?”

The girl of big orbs widely smiled up at him. “Papa-ah?”, she answered, mimicking his posture and careful tone.

Baekhyun chuckled and childishly flickered her nose. “Is there something wrong? You seem a little off. You’re strangely quiet, even though that anime you like so much it’s about to start...”

The kid shook her head and kept playing with her rice.

“Uncle Jondgae texted me this morning. He is participating in that camping thing again this summer. This time, it’s going to be held in Sokcho. Do you remember where Sokcho is?”

Dahyun looked up with sparkling eyes as she told him its exact location on South Korea’s map. After a few seconds, she wore a bashful smile, which was a really uncommon sight.

“Papa, do you remember that uncle Dae promised to show me a lot of places if I ever visited him?” Baekhyun nodded. “I was wondering... Well, I want to go to his camp... I really, really want to go to South Korea, papa. Can I?”

Baekhyun’s grin softened.

“I could say something to your grandparents…” _Hopefully, they won’t skin me alive for mentioning my motherland_ , “but… I think there may be little problem. Well, it’s most like a condition.”

“What it is, papa? I’ll do anything!”

“You can trust me with anything… you know that, don’t?” The perplexed girl nodded as Baekhyun picked up her almost empty plate. “Do well in school, baby girl. I don’t need a card full of straight As, but I want to know if you’re struggling with anything and need any help. Please.”

“Amano-sensei told you…” When he nodded, Dahyun blushed and averted her round eyes, playing with the hem of her graphic shirt. “Sorry, papa… I’m just a little… tired of school. Teachers are mean. They say I’m too energetic for my own good.”

Baekhyun frowned, thinking he would have to talk to those teachers. “Don’t apologize, honey... I’m sorry for not noticing you were getting stressed. I’ll send you to uncle Dae’s camp, but you must promise me you’re going to have fun there, and return here as my ultimate ball of sunshine. Do we have a deal?”

He extended his hand, which she gladly took and shook.

Dahyun stood up and beamed. “Leave it to me, papa! I’ll do good!”

* * *

“Kyungsoo, I can’t do this.”

Chanyeol was hiding inside his bathroom at two in the morning, dreading waking up his daughter in a a few hours so they would not miss their bus to Sokcho. The tiles of the shower-cubicle were extremely cold under his unclothed thighs, and his deep voice echoed too loudly inside, but he could not risk having this conversation in his room, where Joohyun could enter whenever she pleased and catch some scraps of information not meant to be heard by her.

Kyungsoo grumbled at the other end of the line, clearly annoyed from being woken up so rudely before dawn. “ _Damn it, Chanyeol. Have you seen the time? It’s almost three in the morning._ ”

“I need moral support here, Kyungsoo, and you’re the only one I know that doesn’t have to rise early for work tomorro”, the other cursed, but did not reply to that. “I don’t like the idea of sending my princess so far. We’ve never been apart for so long. She’s been so… silent and weird. I feel she’s going to return hating me. Am I really doing the correct thing?”

Kyungsoo sighed and stayed quiet for a few seconds. “ _First of all, Joohyun’s just shocked. You literally told her about this trip three days prior it, and spent two of those preparing her a goodbye-party. I did tell you to speak to her sooner, but you unheeded it, so don’t whine about it now_ ”, Chanyeol let his head sink between his kneecaps, sorrowfully sniffing. “ _Second of all… Yeol, I know you’re scared, but a month apart won’t destroy your entire relationship with your daughter. There is nothing to be affraid of. Have you ever seen the two of you? It’s like you’re the same person. I’m telling you: it’s going to be alright. You need to give her this, a chance to know learn, discover and try new things by herself. I wouldn’t advice you to do this if I knew it could seriously harm both of you_.”

“I know… it’s just...” Chanyeol smiled sadly, Kyungsoo’s honest words alleviating his weighty anxiety. “I’m going to miss her a lot. What I’m going to do without my princess for a month? It feels like an eternity—a boring, monotonous eternity.”

“ _I know, stupid. You’re a ridiculously good father and your daughter wholeheartedly adores you, and I know you both are going to cry like babies for a good week straight—maybe two. But don’t worry; times flies faster than you think and you’ll be reunited again soon. And, you know what? Joohyun won’t run away, Yeol._ ”

Even when Kyungsoo’s eccentric tone was nothing but sympathetic and soft, Chanyeol winced, feeling such comforting sentence as a harsh blow.

“ _She’s not Baekhyun._ ”

The giant lifted his dazed gaze to the white ceiling, barely acknowledging Kyungsoo’s subsequent words as memories of his ex-husband filled his blurring vision. “Yeah… I know.”

_She’s not Baekhyun, but she’s so much like him._

Chanyeol swallowed the big lump on his throat. “Are you going to Sokcho with us?”

“ _Of course, idiot. I even promised Jongin I’ll let you sob on my shoulder on our way back._ ”

* * *

“Hyung, what if she likes Korea? What if she wants to stay there? What am I supposed to do if that happens? I won’t be able to go against her will. She’s so stubborn... So much like... ugh. Nevermind.”

Baekhyun was restlessly pacing around his best friend’s apartment, looking at the cuckoo-clock every five minutes. Dahyun would be returning from speding time with his grandparents in an hour, and then they would take a cab to Narita. Her departure was still six hours ahead, and yet Baekhyun felt like his child would be abandoning him in less than a second. His childhood friend, Kim Jondgae, would be waiting for his kid at Incheon, alongside his responsible and trustworthy boyfriend, Kim Minseok. They were anticipating her arrival as much as Baekhyun was dreading sending her away.

Kim Heechul picked up his trembling cat from the floor, giving Baekhyun a dark look. “Would you, please, calm down? Please? At this rate, Heenim’s going to lose all his nine lives with your cancerous distress.”

“I’m sorry, hyung. It’s just… I left Sout Korea for a reason, and I’m afraid that reason’s going to find out my twin is returning home and he’s surely going to want to meet her and—you know what? Forget this. I’m forbidding my daughter from leaving this country. Summer camp be damned.”

Heechul rolled his eyes and forced Baekhyun to sit down. “Are you listening to yourself, Byun Baekhyun? You’re simply exasperating… Sokcho is at the opposite end of Changwon, isn’t it? How are the odds of they crossing paths? Like one percet? Less?”

“Yes, but I heard from Luhan, who learned through Sehun, that they moved to Busan two years ago.”

Heechul paused as he blankly started at him. “The difference isn’t that much, Baekhyun... Like eighty kilometers? Still, hundred miles away.”

“I know! It’s just that… I don’t know”, he grieved for a moment, hiding his face between sweaty palms, mumbling about how dangerous the idea seemed at the moment.

“Chanyeol—”

Baekhyun paled as if the devil had showed himself. “Don’t say his name!”

“Sweet Simon”, Heechul gave him a disapproving growl. “ _He_ doesn’t even know you’re in the same continent. For all he cares, you’re at the other end of the world, still living in Canada with Jin and Tae. He stopped trying to find you five years ago, remember?”

“I know… but, if he knows...”

“How is he going to know? The only person you occasionally talk to from your old circle of friends is Luhan, and, even if he’s head over heels for that brat of Sehun, he won’t tell anyone about you sending Dahyun to this summer camp. Besides, you just told him the camp wasn’t going to be that close to you. You didn’t give him many details, Baek. He probably thinks it’s going to be on Hakuba or something, like the one Dahyun went to last summer.”

Baekhyun’s shoulders fell. “I know.”

“Jondgae doesn’t know about Chan-his existence, or that he is living in the same country as Minseok and him”, Baekhyun nodded again. “So, would you do us a favor and calm down? Nothing’s going to happen. There’s no way he’s going to find out about Dahyun visiting Korea. He’s not going to travel from Busan to Sokcho to see her, and he won’t be calling you any time soon to reclaim what is his as much as is yours.”

Baekhyun tried to grin, but miserably failed.

“Cheer up, baby. You need to be in your best condition to send Dahyun away, or she’ll get worried and will refuse to leave.”

* * *

“...Your emergency lactase tablets? Antihistamines? Vitamins? Photos of us?”

“Check, check, check...” Joohyun laughed sweetly, making Chanyeol’s weak heart soar in delight before crashing into the ground. She squeezed his arm with some uncertainity as ne noticed his brief, dejected expression. “...And check. Is that all, appa?”

“Yes, princess... It seems you’re ready to go”, Chanyeol caressed her dark hair as he felt his throat closing up.

Joohyun sensed his uprising distress and clung to his waist.

Her frame looked so frail and lanky under her oversized Totoro hoodie, so vulnerable in the middle of the buzzing station. She seemed defenseless while carrying the thirty-inch wolf plush her uncles had gotten her in case missing them became unbearable. Chanyeol’s resolve began wavering as her brilliant eyes shone with a saddening yearn. Chanyeol tried to unheed the monitors’ last alerting calls so their time would be a little prolonged. It was inevitable, he thought. All he could see was her 6 pounds, 10 ounces baby girl again, needing his all his protection and care, and suddenly the mere idea of leaving her there became repulsive.

Joohyun pressed closer, ready to burst into tears with Chanyeol. Under his huge frame, only her baby pink knee socks and vans were visible.

“I can’t believe you’re going to make your daughter cry, idiot. Man up”, Kyungsoo muttered between gritted teeth, but there was no trace of judgement in his serene gaze. He took Joohyun’s free hand and presented her a warm smile, managing to get her separated from his father’s grasp. “Don’t worry, Joonnie, we’ll take care of your dumb dad while you’re not around. Enjoy your time over there, alright? I’m sure you’re going to make a lot of good friends... I think you’re not even going to want to get back. And, who knows? Perhaps you’ll find another... Moomoo, is it?”

“Yes, uncle Soo...” She was back to her modest cheerfulness. She shuffled, gripping both her tote bag and plush-toy closer. “That would be amazing.”

Chanyeol gathered his thoughts and smiled. “We’ll see you in a month, princess. Behave and have fun. Makes us proud...” The three of them did their secret handshake—although a little begrudgingly from Kyungsoo’s part—before she smooched his father’s cheek and received another bear hug.

“Are you going to be okay, appa?”

“Of course! Appa’s very strong. This is nothing... But, you know, I’m always a call away”, Kyungsoo pinched his back, really hard, and Chanyeol grimaced as Joohyun curiously watched him. “Just kidding, princess. See you in a month.”

She finally walked to her bus and, before boarding it, she lightly waved one last time and showed them her eye-smile.

“That wasn’t as hard as I’ve expected...” Chanyeol mumbled to himself while they watched the buses part, which earned him a harsh glare from Kyungsoo. “Give me a break, Soo. At least I kept some of my composure.”

“You almost lost it, stupid giant. I’ll let this pass because it’s the first time, but don’t make Joohyun sad again. Ever... again.” The man paused as he caught a glimpse of his niece, or a girl strikingly similar to her, already asleep against the window of the last bus. _How odd, I could’ve sworn she was on the first one... She was, wasn’t she?_

The first bus was too far for him too see if he was right or not.

“Must have been my imagination, then...” He said, ignoring the paranoia bubbling inside his chest.

Chanyeol turned to him, confused. “What did you say?”

“Nothing. Let’s go home, I’m tired.”

* * *

“Do you have uncle Dae’s number, as well as Minseok’s, in case you can’t find them once you get off the plane?” Dahyun happily nodded, waving her Mamamoo’s notebook in front of her father’s attentive eyes.

Baekhyun’s hands trembled as he took it, reciting the digits to see if they matched the numbers registered in his contacts, even when he was the one who wrote them down in the first place. He nodded to himself once he was done with that task, checking his things-to-review list again.

“Do you have money with you? Remember, don’t put it all on the same pocket. It’s dangerous.”

Dahyun’s hawk eyes shone in awareness as she patted the different pockets of her denim overall dress.

“Got it, papa.”

“Don’t even look at strangers. Stick to the flight attendants.”

“Understood.”

“If you go to the bathroom—”

Dahyun nodded to herself, pretending to wear a serious expression. “I have to make sure to have all my hand-luggage with me. I know, papa”, and then Chanyeol’s dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth when she tightened her lips to hold a laugh back.

Baekhyun hands trembled.

_Get a grip, Byun._

Baekhyun zipped her colorful jacket up, telling her to not take it off during the flight, and slackened her shoulder bag before fastening it again. He kept fussing over the smallest details as Heechul grumbled about noisy people not minding their own business, since a lot of busybodies briefly halted to watch the interaction between father and daughter. They were outside the boarding gates, waiting for Baekhyun to finish his examination. The airline attendant calmly stood aside, with a stoic sense of resignation as she constantly checked the time.

“Where’s your passport, and your permission?”

“The stewardess in charge already has it, Baek”, Heechul reminded, arms crossed over his chest. “We’ve been through this already.”

“Right. Sorry, I’m not thinking straight...”, Baekhyun took a deep breath and showed Dahyun his blinding smile, which she was quick to return with her own signature beam.“Don’t create too much ruckus over there, okay? And, if people bully you because of your accent—”

“Kick their butts”, Heechul supplied. Dahyun finally burst out laughing as Baekhyun groaned.

“No, you’re supposed to be the smart one and act like a decent human being. Be nice. Always be nice. You must be an example.”

Dahyun’s laugh were reduced to soft giggles. “Of course, papa!”

“Don’t use violence.”

She brought a finger up, and Baekhyun’s eye twitched. “Only if it’s an utterly necessary case of self-defense, or if I’m doing it for a friend’s sake.”

“Yes. Make a lot of friends.”

“Count on it!”

“Remember: no dairy products...”

“And zero peanuts.”

Baekhyun’s eyes turned a little weary. “Enjoy your trip, baby... I love you.”

“I love you, too, papa. To the moon and back”, she sang as Baekhyun and her translated the message into hand language. They stayed quiet a few moments, sharing a last secret look, before he cleared his throat and regarded Heechul with a pointed look.

His friend did not enjoy exchanging farewells, under any type of circumstance. It was a miracle—and an achievement, Baekhyun optimisticly thought—that he was at the airport with them.

“Dada, don’t come back if you fail to get Siwon’s number for me. Remember: his daughter likes playing sports, just like you. Tell her you have a hot, single uncle”, Heechul cheekily grinned as his goddaughter nodded, a mischiveous glint adorning her eyes. “Good. Have a safe flight, kiddo. Don’t forget to call once you’ve found uncle Dae.”

Dahyun was good to read between lines. “Don’t miss me too much, Hee-uncle.”

Heechul chuckled. “I’ll try. Take a lot of pictures for me.”

Dahyun gave Baekhyun another kiss before following the airline attendant with eager steps into the security line. They lost sight of her colorful jacket a minute later, and Baekhyun, who could not shake his uneasiness off, actually started considering buying a ticket to Korea.

A tissue appeared in front of his line of vision.

Heechul acted nonchalant as Baekhyun turned to him, surprised. “I know you, Byun. If you want to cry, just do it. She’s already too far to see. I’m not going to judge you. You’re upset she’s going to another country without you... I got it.”

* * *

Hardly three weeks had passed when Chanyeol received a call. It was Friday and he was housing a movie night, Sehun and Jongin being the only guests. They were sprawled over his old and comfy couch, seeping cold beers and eating re-heated pizza, set to waste—as Kyungsoo had phrased it—their entire weekend in a TLOTR marathon.

They were halfway through The Desolation of Smaug when Chanyeol’s ringtone blasted. Jongin and Sehun denied the giant’s pleas of pausing the movie and chased him away to answer the call inside the master bedroom, cracking up at his pitiful pout. It had taken a while for them to able to joke around, since Chanyeol was sensitive and often dwelled on depressing episodes, spending his lonely hours listening to playlists of girl-groups’ famous songs because he could not remember which ones were his daughter’s favorites.

Tremendous was their fright when Chanyeol rushed back into the living room, his whole body spamming, violently crying. He was as pale as a ghost.

“Ca-call Kyungsoo!” He yelled as he desperately searched for his wallet, and Jongin immediately grabbed his cellphone. “We need to leave to Sokcho!”

They bolted and went to the door in an instant, all of them hastily retrieving coats from the closet and running out the apartment without firing any more questions. Jongin called his boyfriend on their way and told him to meet them at the airport.

Kyungsoo did not ask anything either. He knew something had happened to Joohyun, which was enough for him to put on a hoodie and hurry out of his house in his pajamas.

He felt somewhat guilty.

* * *

Baekhyun returned home late, exhausted arms almost lax under the weight of his shopping bags and the little surprise he had prepared for Dahyun. Some friends of Heechul and him were visiting Japan, and it was their last week on the city. He had been declining their offers to hang out during the weekends and had mostly succeeded on avoiding meeting them after work. Heechul had gotten mad at him for wasting his spare time in moping about Dahyun’s absense, so he had taken immediate action. He had hauled him out of his apartment that morning, taking him away from his bed, where he had been watching Dahyun’s favorite movies while eating her favorite dessert.

They had been strolling around stores all day, shopping for souvenirs and presents. Baekhyun was grateful for the distraction. His cellphone had died nearly eight hours prior for the insane intake of photos, so he would not be surprised if he found a hundred missed calls and some-thousand messages after charging it. Not that he minded. His daughter would not be texting him any time soon, and that was all he cared at the moment.

_One week more and this will be over._

What he had not been expecting, though, was the oversaturated amount of voice messages left in his house-phone.

He was watching the pup exploring the new territory when the first message began. He could not wait to see Dahyun’s reaction; he knew she was going to love him.

_“Baekhyun, please, this—this is an emergency. I can’t give you much details right now, but Dahyun was involved in an accident and she’s currently being taken to ER. I could’t reach you on your cellphone… I... Baek, please, answer as soon as you hear this. It’s urgent… God, please, answer me!”_

He jerked the phone out of its platform and started dialing Jondgae’s number, heavy waterfalls streaming down his face as he attempted to control his erratic breathing. As he waited for the tone to mark the call, he opened the message app—his cellphone had been just turned on—and sent a sloppy text to Heechul.

_Airport. Dahyun. EMERGENCY._

Jondgae squeaked a sort of half-sobbed greet when Heechul answered.

_Already on my way._

* * *

They did not know how it had occurred. Two girls had sneaked out of their cabins after they had been ordered to rest for the early expedition next day. A night-patrol had seen them running to the forest, but had lost sight of them ten minutes later. The whole camp had been alerted by his strident shouts, and a group of monitors Jondgae and Minseok included—had been assigned to hunt them down ( _metaphorically_ ).

They had found them near the main road, severely injured and half-way the hereafter. They had seen a pair of bloody small bodies, almost unidentifiable, and the only clear clue about their identities were their colorful summer camp shirts.

They had identified them as Park Joohyun and Byun Dahyun.

It was truly a horrible mystery.

_to be continued..._


	2. Part II

Chanyeol did not know how to think anymore.

He was resting between Kyungsoo’s anchoring arms while Sehun and Jongin went upstairs to get some coffee. They had been waiting outside the ICU for the past two hours since visits had not been authorized yet. The department was not as bleached as they had envisioned, but it was sickening all the same.

The medical crew had stabilized the girls at ER five hours ago, diagnosing them a whole share of problems and complications he could not even pronounce. He understood they were both still extremely delicate, stuck in a tightrope situation, and that they would endure another operation in a few hours—surgeons and pediatricians had come and gone, armies of hectic nurses too, but no one would explain him what his daughter was actually undergoing. He had given up after each one of them brushed off his frenzied concerns, avowing they were doing their best and that he ought to remain calm. At some point, a male nurse had even threatened to put him under some sedative if he kept on refusing to collaborate.

Some camp monitors were lingering nigh, in behalf of the guardians of the other girl, who had yet to arrive. Chanyeol’s despair had increased when he heard one of them—Kim Jongdae, as he had introduced himself—constantly chastising and blaming himself for what had happened. He was beyond mad at first because, yes, how irresponsible was of them to let children out of their supervision? But then, he remembered that they were still kids, and kids always found a perspicacious way to get away with their ideas... however risky they would be. 

So, Chanyeol had been cordial. He had tried to persuade him to make him feel heartened by assuring him he was not at fault, that no one was blaming him, but the monitor could not be convinced otherwise. If anything, it seemed Chanyeol’s understanding managed to upset him more. Kyungsoo had taken him away from the man after that.

At the moment, Chanyeol overlooked all the rage, the fear, the guilt and the pain. He was hardly aware of anything, to be frank. He focused on silently encouraging his kid to not give in, to do as much as she could. Joohyun needed him to be strong for her. He ignored how utterly devastated he felt. All he could do was pray that his daughter and the other girl would overcome this.

“Do you think we should bring her some chocolates after the operation?” Kyungsoo asked. Every hour, his friend would check his mental stability by asking him trivial things, which some times hurt Chanyeol, but it helped him to keep his feet on the ground.

“I think she’d rather have the dairy-free truffles we baked for Jongin’s birthday, Soo.”

“Are patients even allowed to eat anything with cocoa during recovering time?”

Chanyeol sniffed. “I don’t know.”

Kyungsoo hummed, hugging him closer. “I hope so, because I want to bake her something after she’s overcome this.”

There was an implicit _if_ masked by his rather tranquil tone, and Chanyeol shut his eyes to prevent the tears from falling.

“I wish that, too... More than anything else”, the giant took a deep intake of air, coughing because breathing had started to physically hurt him. “...You should bake some for the other girl, too. Maybe she can eat chocolate.”

“I heard her parents are coming over from Japan... I hope they get here, sooner than later.”

 _I hope they get here on time_ , Chanyeol thought with remorse. Instead of voicing his pessimism, he said: “I feel bad for not knowing her name, Soo. I should’ve payed more attention when they told us...”

They heard an unsynchronized group of high-heels clicking, but did not turn around.

“Please!”

Some hysteric person ran down the hallway, and threw himself at a passing nurse, scaring her greatly. He was a petite man, of lean complexity and weakly shape. Even so, he brusquely shook the robust nurse with an amazing force, as if she was as light as a leaf.

“Please… tell me how is my baby… Her name… her name is—is…hyun... hyun-n...”

If Chanyeol felt like he was already dead, at that instant he was resuscitated and annihilated all over again by that particular, stammering voice. He was absolutely petrified inside Kyungsoo’s arms, who had gone just as rigid as him as they heard the heartbroken sobs of the human wreck. They both slowly risked to peek at the newcomers’ direction, and found Byun Baekhyun falling on his knees, crying his heart out as Heechul and three unknown girls tried to settle him down. They all looked like they had gone through a hellish odyssey to get there, all disheveled and worn-out.

“Hey Soo, I got you a cappuccino—” Jongin halted mid-step as his gaze collided with Heechul’s piercing, cat-like eyes. This caused Sehun to crash against his back and burn his hand with his steaming tea. “The hell!” Both Jongin and Sehun exclaimed simultaneously, but for stark different reasons.

Peering over his friend’s broad shoulders, Sehun became tongue-tied and all color was drained from his face when Baekhyun gawked at him with a flabbergasted, nearly hysterical look. Chanyeol trembled inside Kyungsoo’s constricting embrace, but did not move an inch to break it off, not even when Sehun and Jongin shot him desperate looks. It seemed he was barely breathing, his sturdy chest raising almost imperceptibly being the sole indication that he had not been killed by the shock. Even when his response was not precisely blithe, there was not hate or resentment contaminating his eyes either. He was just... numb.

Baekhyun was just as appalled once he realized who were the men around them. He was rendered mute and his skin turned corpse-white. His eyes became evasive and lingered on Heechul’s sharpened semblance, wordlessly imploring his help.

“Please, keep quiet. The doctor will talk to you soon”, the robust nurse said before leaving the ward.

Heechul shielded Baekhyun from the accusatory looks.

Nobody spoke for the next half an hour. Or rather, everydoby had forgotten how to speak.

* * *

It was as silent as a dead valley. Nurses suddenly thought twice before walking down their corridor, sprinting through it as if they were escaping a sleazy alley.

Heechul, who had never failed to be a straightforward ice-breaker, frowned as he finished scrutinizing Chanyeol’s horrendous state—his Batman bottoms were nice, though he was more of a Marvel person—when another poor nurse hurried before them. Sehun and Jongin were in some childish pajamas as well, and Kyungsoo was the only one with a decent, mature loungewear.

It was safe to assume they had hurried there without changing. 

“So, what are you doing here?” He asked, crossing his leg. He did not mean to sound as hostile, but it could not be helped. He had enough stress for an entire lifetime to try to deal rationally with the current dilemma.

Miyoung, Taeyeon and Sooyeon, the girls who had tagged along, flinched. “Oppa…” Taeyeon muttered, folding her hands over her lap with a nervous twitch.

“He’s not supposed to be here.”

And he was not, Heechul inwardly reiterated. Even if old medical records still had Chanyeol’s name and general information, the taller man should have known he—as well as his group of obnoxious friends—would not be welcomed there. Not even if Baekhyun had arrived at the hospital alongside his daughter and he was the only man in South Korea who could recognize them.

Kyungsoo menacingly narrowed his eyes. “Watch your mouth, Heechul. We don’t want any troubles. We’re not in the mood for bullshit. If anything, you’re the ones who shouldn’t be here. You’ve done enough.”

Sehun gulped when Kyungsoo’s vicious claim echoed in the corridor, overwhelmed by guilt. He had texted Luhan to apprise him of Joohyun’s accident and hospitalization. He would not have ever imagined that Luhan would do something as careless and insensitive as contacting Baekhyun without telling him. Jongin had asked him if he had any idea of how Baekhyun had gotten there, and Sehun had confessed out of distress.

His friend, though, had gone and ranted on him.

Miyoung had to cling to Heechul’s arm to prevent him from pouncing.

“I’m sorry, but is _my_ god-daughter who’s in there, so shut the fuck up.”

“Baby, please, don’t”, Jongin muttered, caressing his boyfriend’s back before tenderly squeezing his shoulder. He cleared his throat and observed a rather pissed-looking Heechul, and the haggard, withering Baekhyun. “Hey, it’s been a while... hasn’t it?”

Baekhyun avoided meeting Jongin’s welcoming gaze. The man had always been like that, a philanthropic and somehow foolish altruist, capable to see nothing but good in people. He could not stand that at the moment, and it seemed that Heechul could not either. His friend arched a sarcastic eyebrow in response to his courtesy, unfazed eyes too empty and merciless.

Kyungsoo huffed as he tightened his protective grip around Chanyeol, and the giant stayed horror-struck, too dumbfounded to comprehend what was taking place in front of him. Baekhyun and Chanyeol were avoiding acknowledging the other.

It felt like a nightmare—Baekhyun returning when their daughter was dying; Chanyeol appearing when their daughter was dying.

There was simply no way...

“Well, this is awkward”, Sehun pointed out.

Jongin elbowed him in the ribs to get him silent.

Heechul was persevering, “Jongin, why are you guys doing here?”

His tone was bitter and contundent, as if he truly believed they did not have any business there.

“Heechul, the situation with Joohyun... It’s not… good. Please, don’t start a pointless banter...”, Heechul’s fleeting puzzlement disconcerted Jongin, who slowly realized there seemed to be a titanic misunderstanding between them. “...Aren’t you here for the same reason? Because Joohyun is dying?”

“Jongin”, Kyungsoo hissed.

Baekhyun’s head snapped and his boiling pulse shot up. He quickly rose to his feet and practically assaulted Jongin, face completely fear-stricken. “What, what did you say? Don’t- don’t tell me, please, that… Why… why is Joohyun also here?! What happened to her?!”

Heechul tried to pry Baekhyun away from the tanned man, but his pale hands froze midair as Jongin, stubbornly deaf to Kyungsoo’s harsh warning, grimly admitted: “she was... in an accident. She’s in a fragile state, but… I thought—wait, what do you mean by _also_? Is Dahyun here as well?”

Jongin looked at his boyfriend, who seemed completely mind-blown.

Chanyeol finally reacted when both Heechul and Baekhyun staggered back, as discomposed and speechless as fresh mums. Contrary to what anyone could have expected, Chanyeol was the most self-possessed of them all. He slowly stood up, and neatly rearranged his coat as he passively studied their awfully fearful faces.

He bravely met his ex-husband’s frightened eyes.

“Was Dahyun in that summer camp, too?” He asked.

One of Park Chanyeol’s physical traits Baekhyun had loved the most used to be his pair of deep, heartfelt eyes. They were candid, bright, sincere and so expressive. They wore a mixed touch of childish malice and innocence, and exuded so much passion and hope it was heartwarming. They were just so perfect. He was glad Dahyun—and Joohyun, too, since they were identical twins—had inherited Chanyeol’s breathtaking eyes.

But now, he could not find a single trace of that beautiful endowment in the aloof, disheartening glower that had him under inspection. He could not recognize him. That was why Heechul was the one to answer positively for him, because Baekhyun was aghast, too shaken to present a coherent response.

“Well, you should know that Joohyun... she was the other girl who was involved in the accident...” Chanyeol weakly fell into his seat again, covering his despondent expression with wobbly hands. Kyungsoo and Sehun were right at his sides, kind fingers treading his black locks and kneading his rigid muscles. “Dear God, what type of sick joke is this? How can you bring those two together like this…?”

“I trusted you to... No… my other baby, not her…” Baekhyun’s legs crumpled under the pressure as he grasped the gravity of such unfathomable situation, and his entire self cracked. He fell into Heechul’s extended arms like an emotionless rag-doll, holding onto him for dear life. “No… this can’t be happening... Heechul… my babies... both of them...”

“Baek-ah…” Sooyeon patted her lap and the boy was swiftly deposited over there. Tiffany and Taeyeon worked on expertly massaging his palms while they fought tears back. “We’re sorry, Baek... So sorry...”

After that, they did not communicate at all. A downhearted Baekhyun and a brooding Heechul stayed five-meters away with the girls, in a vacant row of chairs, absently receiving the apologetic hugs of Minseok and Jondgae. Chanyeol was absorbed in a woolgathering phase, instinctively caressing Sehun’s head since he had practically fainted of exhaustion on his lap. Kyungsoo and Jongin were locked in an intimate clasp, too tired and overwhelmed to utter a single syllable.

Nobody knew what to say, or if they should point fingers at anyone. It was... ridiculous. All seemed too ridiculous.

A formally attired Luhan appeared forty minutes later, almost tumbling over a hygienic-products cart as he approached them. His tie was hanging loosely around his unbuttoned neck, his dress-shirt was out and his sleeves had been rolled up. They knew he was attending a wedding in Mokpo, as the date of his half-sister’s cousin.

“Guys, how is…?”, he immediately shut up when he saw Baekhyun as well, and his face lost all his healthy color. He gaped in shock before articulating in a mousey tone: “my God… is this grave?”

“Nice to see you again, Luhan”, Heechul waved at him, and the dark-look on his face made Luhan’s skin tingle. He felt like he would be attacked if he stepped out of line.

“Dahyun’s here as well. Same situation as Joohyun. What a coincidence, isn’t it?”

They winced in unison.

“You’re kidding… how is that even possible...” Luhan stopped breathing and ducked his head, hiding his shivering eyes. He ruffled his hair. “What are the odds?”

“Less than one percent?” Heechul ruefully answered. “Statistics are a bloody joke...”

“Do you want me to wake Sehun up?” Chanyeol asked in a gloomy murmur. Luhan shook his head as he took a seat next to him, giving Chanyeol a side-hug. “Okay.”

The Chinese man threw a meaningful look at Baekhyun, and the smaller simply nodded to acknowledge his presence.

Nearly an hour later, they wheeled the girls out to the operation theater, a doctor informing them their conditions were not improving as predicted. Baekhyun broke down and openly wailed on the floor, the three girls going down with him. Chanyeol would have collapsed if Kyungsoo and Jongin had not grabbed his upper limbs on time. The rest could only watch as the took the twins away.

“Byun Dahyun and Park Joohyun’s guardians?” A skinny nurse walked up to them, and neither Chanyeol nor Baekhyun could not find the strenght to give her a verbal answer. They barely nodded, blood-shot eyes focused on her polite semblance. “Alright. I understand you’re going through a hard time right now, but I need you both to sign these legal forms. In short, you’ll be conceding permission to our doctors to make the decisions they consider the best at the moment, consenting to take responsibility, so no issues would arise in case the worst scenarios were to happen… I need you both to be prepared. Cooperation relieves pressure.”

It seemed everyone had something to said in protest when she handed them the foul papers, but were abruptly silenced once Chanyeol and Baekhyun snatched them. They did what they were told, automatically signing them without reading throughout their contents. After giving her the pen back, Chanyeol wordlessly walked away, and Baekhyun longingly stared as he saw his figure getting blurry.

He was so confused, and frustrated and exhausted.

This was not supposed to happen…

* * *

Baekhyun thought about it... about Chanyeol being there, and if their situation was the universe’s way of teaching them a lesson. Of teaching  _him_ a lesson.

He retired to the cafeteria an hour later, telling his companions he was in need of some fresh air. He was going to buy a bottle of water before going for a stroll around the gardens, from where he planned to call his grandparents. He had received a message from his grandfather’s number and, frankly, he was afraid of reading what it said. He had phoned the inn half an hour prior, and his grandparents had sounded nothing but infuriated when he explained the situation—including his ex-husband and Joohyun’s unfortunate addition—to them.

The message said:

 _Hello, Baekhyun, this is Minako_ —an employee of his grandparents’, since the old couple hardly knew how to use a smart phone—. _Remember to call us everyday to tell us how Dahyun is doing and if you need us to send you anything. It would be good if you provide the hospital’s basic information for us, too. Take care. Hope to see you soon._

“...At least they won’t be coming.”

As he unfastened the cap of his bottle, he heard the rough, tenor cadence of Chanyeol’s at the other end of the hall, and felt compelled to stride near it. Absent mind, Baekhyun followed it. Chanyeol had not lost his hypnotizing, magnetic quality.

“—Omma, please, stop... I… I know we might lose Joohyun, but she’s got a strong spirit that won’t... be easily defeated. She isn’t one to-to give up…” he paused and Baekhyun gripped the bottle harder, despising the dejected cracks on his voice. “Of course… don’t worry... I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a safe flight. I love you, too.”

_Mrs. Park is coming..._

He spun around and was stunned to find Baekhyun there, watching him with his frail, almond-shaped eyes. They stayed quiet for a prolonged moment, studying how the other had aged, seemingly measuring body language and reactions, speculating how much their personalities had changed over time. It was a paradoxical second first-meeting, and it was both fantastic and horrendous at the same time.

Baekhyun was slimmer while Chanyeol seemed more muscular. Both had their hair in a natural black, but Chanyeol’s was shorter. Baekhyun’s skin was still as milky, and Chanyeol had a slight, perfect tan.  

Chanyeol was the one who tried to move past Baekhyun, but the smaller man did not let him advance further.

“Would you have told me, Chanyeol?” He questioned, because he did not what else to say. He sounded utterly forlorn. “If Joohyun was the only one here… would you have made the call?”

Chanyeol flinched.

“I think it’s funny that you would ask me that. I don’t have your number or any form to contact you, nor do I know where you live. You disappeared into thin air—you made it clear you didn’t want to do anything with me, or with Joohyun for the matter. Even if I’d tried, it’d have probably ended the same way as it did years ago”, he answered tersely and Baekhyun, even though his pride did not like it, consented that Chanyeol had a valid point. “However, my number is still the same, and so is my parents’. I believe the justified wondering is if you would have made the call, Baekhyun. If Dahyun was the only one here, would you have tried to contact me?”

“I...” Baekhyun let some tears fall on the floor. He was not sure about it. “I…”

Chanyeol did not look back. “That’s what I thought.”

And Park Chanyeol left, just like Baekhyun had left him nine years ago.

* * *

The last surgery was completed around eleven in the morning. The girls were taken back to the intense care, and the parents were given a general review. They said they should be fine for the meantime, since operations had been a success so far, but the physical damage needed a long recovering time. There had been broken ribs, punctured lungs, injured kidneys, livers and other organs; multiple-fractured bones and damaged tendons… Trauma was written all over their petite bodies.

“At this point, there is a really low probability of relapse. Chances are—”

“Shut up”, Heechul harshly ordered when the doctor was telling them about transferring the girls. “I’m sorry... We’ll wait until there are zero risks.”

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes. “Superstitious, aren’t we?”

“I’m not underestimating the point one percent again. Look where it got us.”

The owlish-eyed man did not say anything to that.

When the kids were moved upstairs, things became edgy. Seokjin and Taehyung, Baekhyun’s beloved cousins and only family left, unexpectedly arrived. If they had been alone, Baekhyun would have been delighted for their visit. But they were not. They appeared escorting Chanyeol’s frantic parents and the Park’s political nephew, Wu Yifan. They had been all coincidentally reunited in the same flight from America.

The air surrounding them was dreadful and _so_ tense, it could have been sliced. Baekhyun could not blame his cousins for his awkward behavior, though: even if Taehyung and Seokjin were a pair of troublemakers, Mrs. Park surely had gotten them quiet with a single look.

“Yeol-ah, come here...” Yifan muttered. 

Yifan was a grey man, of hidden passions and unapproachable stride. When they had gotten married, Yifan had been Chanyeol’s best-man. Even as he gave his speech summarizing Chanyeol’s top-ten embarrasing moments, which had the whole party doubling over as they laughed, he did not portray many emotions. 

But now, as wrapped his arms around his cousin and had Chanyeol breaking apart inside his arms, he did not last long before starting to bewail as well. Chanyeol kept howling like a miserable soul, and it actually tore Baekhyun apart. It was horrible to see a happy and strong person like him in such state. Baekhyun meekly watched them from distance, blown by useless despair, warmly enveloped in Taehyung’s comforting embrace while Heechul and Seokjin, plus Kyungsoo and Luhan, finished discussing some financial issues with the doctor.

“Hyung!” Taehyung shook him back to his senses when Heechul and Seokjin were back to them. “Jin and I are hungry... Where is the cafeteria?”

Heechul nodded, and Baekhyun sighed. “I’ll show you guys... Follow me.”

“You know? I’m glad you got a divorce. That woman is a _witch_ , hyung”, Seokjin whispered when they were at a safe distance, and Baekhyun sadly chuckled as his cousins shivered. “She cursed Tae on our way here, I swear.””

“I’ll be single for the rest of my life...” Taehyung whined. When Baekhyun did not jab his pride with some sarcastic response, he stopped walking. “Hyung...? Are you okay?”

Seokjin halted as well when Baekhyun ignored his brother. 

The smaller seemed confused when he noticed he was suddenly alone. “I...” He twisted his head and blushed when he found his cousins five meters behind. “Guys?”

Seokjin and Taehyung smiled, but did not speak anymore.

The shoeless girls (high-heels had been tossed aside after hours there) and his cousins bought him some of his favorite pastries and Earl Grey tea to lift his deflated spirits and get him back on his feet, but it did not work. All Baekhyun could think was how much he yearned to be inside Chanyeol’s embrace, sharing all the burdensome pain with the person who understood it better than anyone.

But he could not. It was silly to start wishing for anything different.

Repeating such thing to himself, he braced himself for the upcoming days.

* * *

Seven days passed by and their girls would not wake up.

The doctor introduced them another fatal possibility: indefinite coma. Visits became limited. This meant everyone was permitted to return to their daily routines, even when most of them, being the worrisome uncles they were, did not appreciate such indications. At the end, Baekhyun and Chanyeol forced them to comply. Kyungsoo, Jongin, Sehun and Luhan unwillingly went back to Busan while Heechul took a flight to Tokyo. Yifan stayed in a guesthouse nearby with Mrs. Park, while Chanyeol’s father left to Seoul with the girls. Taehyung and Seokjin stayed a few days more, but would return to Toronto once the weekened began.

The room assigned to their children was, for lack of better words, amicable. They got accustomed to its baby-green walls, pristine-white flooring and beeping apparatuses after spending a tiring week inside it. Chanyeol and Baekhyun barely left the room, exiting its perimeter just to get a clean changes of clothes or food, or take work-related calls. They could not stand to apart from their sleeping beauties; doctors and nurses in shift would always find them seated beside their beds, with their chins propelled up on their palms, elbows red for the constant friction with the sheets, or their heads resting on their kids’ pillows. They would wear tears on their eyes, too, or sport soaked sleeves.

The atmosphere when they were both awake and without any form of entertainment was suffocating. They could not act cordial in presence of the other, less hold a proper conversation like civilized people. For nearly two painstaking weeks, they were not capable of exchanging more than a few forced formalities, and those happened on rare occasions after Yifan had gotten fed up with them using the medical crew as messenger pigeons.

“ _You’re both adults, for God’s sake! Sort your differences out and start acting like your age, damn it”,_ he had brought them to the gardens so he could yell as much as he pleased. _“I don’t want my nieces to wake up to this. Seeing how ridiculously immature both their parents are isn’t going to them any good. Get a fucking grip and learn for once to tolerate yourselves. Think that this all will be over once they wake up_.”

Chanyeol was not rude nor crass-spoken with him, per se, but his standoffish attitude and curt responses, which he reserved solely for Baekhyun, were enough proof of his antagonism. He could be chirpy chatting with the nurses a moment, and then crudely refer to him not even a second later. Baekhyun’s current behavior was not faultless, either. The discomfiture caused by Chanyeol’s avoidance ignited his rare, usually dormant temper. He would quibble about Chanyeol’s stupid traits when the giant or his family were not around. He would criticize his loud voice, pointy ears, creepy smile and childish mannerisms, but the nurses would always interrupt his rants by telling him how charming he truly was, which only served to fuel his irritation.

Before succumbing to the tension and starting to ploy a way to deprive his twins of their father, Baekhyun decided it would be okay if he gave it a shot.

“You know”, he softly exhaled. Chanyeol was ignoring him again, but that did not affect him like before. “I’d have called Luhan to pass the message. Perhaps it would’ve not been immediately, but I’d have done it eventually, Chanyeol. Dahyun… she’s yours, too.”

Chanyeol was at loss of words for a moment. “Wait... I didn’t know you still talked to Luhan. He never mentioned anything.”

Baekhyun blinked in astonishment before fixing a judgemental stare. “Is really all that you got from what I’ve just told you? I’m trying to be nice... and...”

“Sorry, I’m just surprised. That damned bambi is still amazingly deceitful. I can’t even say anything to him without provoking Sehun as well. Luhan never changes…”

“You never change, Chanyeol…” Baekhyun muttered, trying to conceal the goofy smile that wanted to stretch his lips. “You never change.”

The giant clenched his fists and nodded. “Thanks for telling me, I guess.”

After that, the head nurse, Seulgi, came to usher them out.

Baekhyun slept a little better that night.


	3. Part III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third part. Basically, Chanyeol and Baekhyun had started to talk again, but problems won't give them a break.

They were entering the facilities when Baekhyun spoke to him again, breaking the eery silence as they walked towards their daughters’ shared room. 

“Can you imagine how their first reaction was? When they met, I mean...” He asked Chanyeol, who seemed totally lost at such unexpected start. Baekhyun flushed a little as he tried to explain himself with more clarity. “Jongdae sent me some photos last night. They were mostly group pictures, but Joohyun and Dahyun always appeared together, or close enough to suppose a type of fellowship... so I was wondering...”

They had been tip-toeing around each other for the past few days, after Baekhyun’s honest blurt, but there had not been more serious progress. Chanyeol still had his qualms about addresing Baekhyun with agreeability. They mostly talked about frivolous things, like how Seulgi’s red hair served to exalt her ivory skin and complimented her features, but never ventured into delicate topics. Their erstwhile relationship, the unresolved issues concerning their divorce or the complex affair with their daughters were topics prohibited by a wordless consensus. It was easy to ignore the elephant in the room, after all.

“I mean, they didn’t remember being a twin... or didn’t know that her father wasn’t a total jerk, in Dahyun’s case”, he coughed when Chanyeol shot him with a malicious glare before grunting and simply snubbing him. Baekhyun became uncomfortable with such insipid reaction; he sighed out of total woe and frowned when his shoulders’ muscles tensed up. “I have something to say in my defense... I think it was better lying about you being a completely bastard than telling her that you were _dead_.”

The giant tripped, rosy face becoming unnaturally pale, as if it had been whitwashed. His accusation had busted him. 

“How did you know?” Chanyeol had a cute, probably unbidden pout on his lips—not that Baekhyun was telling him—as he seemed to ponder about something. “’Was it Luhan, wasn’t it? Damn it, bambi... I’m never trusting you again.”

“Actually, I overheard Kyungsoo and Jongin discussing about it before they left. Not the best way to find about it... Thanks for killing me in a car crash, by the way. Couldn’t you be more creative?”

“I don’t think you have any right to complain”, Chanyeol rashly said in a rather aggresive tone. “You dissapeared without leaving any trace. It was like you were dead, so I didn’t think it would make any difference to say that to Joohyun.”

“Well, now it does, doesn’t it?” Baekhyun grumbled, but decided to let the matter go because Chanyeol looked ready to aboard it and he was not. “ _Back_ to my question. We... divorced when they were barely one year. Do you think they were mad at us for hiding this? Did they feel betrayed? Disappointed, perhaps? Or… do you think they were somewhat happy because they met the sister they didn’t know they had?” They halted because Baekhyun stopped to tousle his satin-like locks; right there, he looked utterly helpless. “...Am I making any sense to you?”

Chanyeol quietly stared at him, debating whether to answer or not. At the end, he just brushed his distrust and kept going.

Baekhyun’s frame was slouching when Chanyeol’s words reached his eager ears.

“Well, I don’t about Dahyun, but Joohyun can’t stay upset for more than a few minutes. She may try to give you a could shoulder for a brief spam of time, five minutes at best, before apologizing and speaking to you again”, the giant laughed in reminiscence, and Baekhyun felt his insides fluttering before nostalgia and guilt overwhelmed him. “So, perhaps she was angry and felt betrayed at first, since I’ve never hidden something as big as this from her before, but I’m sure she got over it quickly.” 

The smaller jogged to catch up. “You told her papa was dead... _Dead_. A lie like that is rather unforgivable. How are you so sure she got over it quickly?”, he asked with genuine curiosity.

“She’s not one to hold grudges, trust me. Even if she was really mad at me, knowing you’re alive probably overshadowed it and now it won’t be as bad as it should”, Chanyeol hummed, thinking about his daughter and her affinities. “Plus, sometimes she would tell me she felt somehow empty... incomplete? So, I bet she became happy after they found out. That’s Joohyun for you.”

“Joohyun sounds sweet…” Baekhyun was quiet as he tought about Dahyun, a shy smile tugging at his lips when he tried to visualize her reaction. His eyes sparkled as much as Chanyeol’s when he began speaking about the twin under his custody. “Dahyun is headstrong, you know? When she’s angry, she tends to snap at people, and God helps them if they had offended her somehow. She doesn’t spare anyone. However, she’s just as curious. My guess is that she did get mad, probably even at Joohyun, but her curiosity must have urged her to swallow her pride and ask about you.”

The giant choked.

They put their conversation on hold, scouting the floor to see if they could skirt the human traffic in the middle of the crowded corridor. 

There was a pink dust on Chanyeol’s cheeks when Baekhyun looked at him again. It was evident that Chanyeol had not expected such open sincerity from him.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah… Though, Dahyun probably accused you of abandoning us. Joohyun couldn’t have taken that well... I can only imagine how it went up after that. Dahyun is a little. _.. shoot first, ask questions later_ kind of person.”

“Joohyun probably cried. She doesn’t like fighting... she’s more of the crybaby type”, he paused, and his face wrinkled as if he just welcomed a nauseating thought. “Am I bad for wishing I could have witnessed their encounter?” Chanyeol whispered with a quivering smile. 

Baekhyun wanted to cherish their affable interaction, but presumed that whatever Chanyeol was about to say would not let him enjoy their small improvement. To his luck, his premonition was accurate.

Chanyeol had a taut scowl embedded in his face as he spoke up. “Now that they’re together like this, I clearly see we didn’t opt for the best alternative back then. I mean, if one of them had died after getting here... Can you imagine the other assisting to—God forbids it—their funeral? Standing aside as her twin was being lowered to the ground? That’s... awful, Baekhyun. I don’t think I could’ve lived with that.” 

Baekhyun swallowed hard, trying to keep his breathing steady. _Neither do I_. “We can’t change our past choices... What’s done is done.”

“I’m aware of that. However, we have a future ahead and I’m sure our daughters won’t find acceptable to return to their old lives as if nothing had happened. They got along, so things are never going to be the same... We should start talking about it, don’t you think?”

Baekhyun trembled, pausing to take a shaky breath.

“Do you think they got along well? I mean... after all...”

Chanyeol observed him as if he had uttered a dumb question. 

At that moment, both remembered the only period of time that saw their daughters living together. 

They were back at their first year of parenthood, when their babies could not be apart for more than five minutes without breaking into angry episodes. At the beginning, it had freaked them out. Chanyeol had proposed to do little experiments here and there to test their speculations about their mutual dependency, and they were stunned by their results. The girls outcried whenever one of them woke up and noticed the other had been taken away from their crib or their playmat. Likewise, if the one being taken away woke up in the middle of the act, she would shriek like she was being hurt, which would alarm the other and incite a bawling disaster. Once in a while, the old-lady living next door would knock on their door to see if they were doing well.

When the twins had started crawling, one would guide and the other would trail behind without fail. They had one particular funny memory of those days. Chanyeol had once picked Dahyun, who was leading their way, to see what Joohyun would do. Chanyeol was mean then; he laughed at Joohyun’s disconcerted face and Dahyun’s confused stare, wich earned him a rattle in the eye, nicely thrown by an nine-months-old Joohyun, and a loud slap on his cheek from Dahyun. Baekhyun had nursed him with enough kisses for a lifetime that night, before they both had collapsed out of sheer exhaustion.

The bond was there. They knew it.

Chanyeol chuckled, with less animosity than before. “Do you honestly doubt it?”

* * *

“What do you miss the most?” 

Baekhyun had just finished checking his text messages when the unforeseen question left his mouth. Nana, his most trusted co-worker and current babysitter of the Byun’s nameless puppy, had sent him a short video with a sweet message attached. Baekhyun felt a little depressed after seeing the adorable dog trying to scramble on Nana’s bed but having his goal hindered by the slippery sheets. The half-Korean man had been so excited about shoving the little thing into Dahyun’s unsuspicious hands, about watching her becoming overjoyed and expressing her happiness like a little madwoman. He knew Dahyun like the palm of his hand, and could almost feel her excited shrieks and crazy babblering piercing his eardrums.

He missed her so much.

“What?” Chanyeol was grooming Joohyun’s long hair when the jolt came. His hands jerked and the brush caught a lot of tresses, violently mingling them together. He turned to give Baekhyun a questioning, almost terrified look. “What do you mean?”

Baekhyun realized he had not used proper specifications. Not wonder why Chanyeol seemed like he was about to throw up... He thought he was asking about them.

“About... her”, Baekhyun unsurely said, his longing look coming to stop on Joohyun’s peaceful face. He closed the gap between them and tenderly untangled the strands as Chanyeol muttered a curse under his breath. “What is she like when she is happy, or sad, or excited? Does she have any cute peculiarity? Some funny habits?”

Although Chanyeol doubted that Baekhyun would believe him if he told him, he understood it. He could relate to Baekhyun’s urgency to know about her. He had felt the same the first week he saw Dahyun laying there, beside his _legal_ daughter, every day. She was his daughter as well, and yet she was not better than a total stranger to him. But, even when his curiosity was ripping him apart, he had abstained from asking anything. He was not fond of the idea of building any sort of connection with Baekhyun, apart from the obvious one they could not break.

“I miss her voice. It’s soft and melodious... she sings like you, and has the same nice laugh”, he absently told him, oblivious of how Baekhyun blushed. “When she gets home before me, she waits at the door to give me a welcome hug. I really miss that. Or, when she’s trying new pieces, and she grins and looks so proud of herself, and calls me saying ' _I did it_!' and dedicates the song to me...” Chanyeol spaced out, recalling intimate moments he did not seem ready to share. He shook his head and simply smiled. “Honestly, there’s nothing that I don’t to miss.”

Baekhyun nodded to himself, digesting and memorizing what Chanyeol had told him. There was a question brought by his early slip, looming over their heads. 

_Do you miss me?_

“I’m scared...”, Baekhyun murmured, the hand holding Dahyun’s starting to shake. He had his gaze downcast, and his lips were red from his endless bitting. Speaking became hard at that point. “I miss the dorky snorts she does every single time she’s trying to tell me lame jokes. And, she dislikes seadweed a lot... But that’s like my grandparents’ favorite thing, and they always serve her something with it. Her faces while trying to eat it are priceless. She’d pass me her plate when they’re not looking, throwing all the seadweed in mine and bribing me: ' _papa, if you eat this for me, I’ll do all the chores this month!_ '. God, she can be so silly... I’m afraid I won’t get to see it again. I feel like they’re taking too much time, Chanyeol. What if...?"

“Stop.”

Baekhyun shut up immediately.

“Don’t even think about it. Even in that state, they can still perceive their environment: you’re a trigger. As their parents, if our duty to support them during hard times... this is like a golden test, you know?”, Chanyeol turned over, softly pecking Dahyun’s forehead before doing the same over Joohyun’s. He contemplated them for a moment, wordlessly enduring the waves of sour pain. “Girls, you take all the time you need. Appa and papa will wait for you. There is no rush, no pressure. Right, Baekhyun?”

“Yeah... You’re right.”

* * *

By the third week, they had a stablished routine and things did not look as hopeless.

They would take turns to watch over their sleeping kids, to get clean clothes and to buy something to eat before the nurses recommended that they retired for the night. Chanyeol traveled back and forth on flights, since he was still responsible for monitoring his restaurant’s monetary status and stable incomes, and Yifan would keep Baekhyun some company (though he never really spoke to the smaller). Baekhyun, for his part, had not taken a vacation on years, so his bosses—his veterinarian clinic’s superior and the manager at the zoo’s reservation—had given him two months to sort things out. His constant presence seemed to annoy Mrs. Park, who would always appear around noon to oust whoever was at the room (more ruthlessly if Baekhyun was by his own), so she could have some privacy with her granddaughters.

Their friends had dropped by a couple of times, too, bringing them books and stuff from their apartments. Baekhyun became overly awkward whenever Chanyeol’s friends visited without Luhan, specially if he was left alone with Kyungsoo. The petite man was thoughtful enough to not insult him out in the open, but that did not mean he ceased his fulminating glares or unrelenting remarks about Chanyeol being better without him if there was anyone around. Baekhyun would have been irritated because of his treatment if Heechul had refrained himself from retaliating during his four days-long sojourn, which ended causing Chanyeol a stomach ulcer.

_“He used to be so nice. What the hell happened?”, Chanyeol had asked._

_Baekhyun was still mad because of Kyungsoo, so his answer was curt. “We divorced. Heechul never got over it.”_

Some times, Baekhyun’s grandparents would send floral bouquets for both girls, and some cheesy cards with his co-workers’ signs would arrive between them. Chanyeol received calls from his employees on daily basis, and e-mails from old-school friends who had heard their daughters had suffered an accident. They both truly appreciated the support. It made everything seem more... bearable, in a way.

It also helped that they had started to talk more openly about their daughters and some aspects of their current lives. It was like a private, never-ending show and tell. They would reveal each other photos from their phones or Facebook’s accounts, explaining the context and sharing antic anecdotes. On particular tranquil days, a playful Baekhyun would flaunt about Dahyun’s sporty aptitudes, which would provoke a competitive Chanyeol to brag about Joohyun’s musical talents. Nurses would laugh at their childish bickering, relieved that they were finally able to get in without fearing they would walk into a crime scene.

Today was one of those. Or at least, seemed like one.

“Dahyun’s ankle was still swollen, so I forbid her from going to the tournament”, Baekhyun was outside with Chanyeol (and a silent Mrs. Park) while the doctor examined their twins’ vitals and nurses changed their bandages. “Heechul thought I was being overly paranoid and he took her to the dojo while I was working... Our baby girl won. I don’t know how she managed to keep up, but she did. She even knocked out some kid twice her size! In the end, however, she got her ankle twisted quite badly—and I got so mad at Heechul, I didn’t talk to him for a week. She’s not practiced karate ever since, which is sad, because she was really good. Almost as good as I was in hapkido”, he said, playfully winking.

Chanyeol snorted. “You didn’t make it to the second class, Baek. Don’t flatter yourself. Dahyun is too amazing. I’ve seen the videos and you can’t compare.”

Baekhyun ignored how his heart stopped at the mention of his old nickname. 

“Excuse me? My teacher said I was exceptional!” 

“For a clueless amateur... and you were like ten. Teachers say things like that to encourage you. You’re too gullible.” 

“ _That’s_ beside the point.”

Mrs. Park’s semblance was blank and unimpressed when Baekhyun’s eyes accidentally darted towards her. He knew she still disliked him, even if he was not exactly related to her anymore. He suspected she would never stop hating him, not even if he moved to some forsaken place at the other end of the planet. 

“Does Daehyun know how to play any instrument?” Mrs. Park questioned out of the sudden. Chanyeol furrowed his brow, but remained quiet as he looked at Baekhyun. As always.

“I once tried to teach her how to play the piano, but she didn’t like it. She likes to move, and didn’t enjoy being seated studying music sheets. It never worked out...” He answered, and his voice sounded a little weakened when Mrs. Park grunted. “That’s okay, though. She’s great potential for other things. She sings well, but I think she prefers rapping.”

Chanyeol gently smiled at him.  _That’s my girl._

“Indeed, such a shame. Her twin sister’s a music prodigy while she’s good at hitting people and getting herself covered in dirt”, Baekhyun’s face changed from surprised to enraged in a blink, Chanyeol’s jaw dropping at his mother’s cruel words. “I don’t mean to importunate you with my opinion, Baekhyun, but I do think you should reconsider your method to rear a child. Clearly, there’s something you’re not doing right. They’re twins: they’re genetically programmed with the same abilities.”

“Omma!” The giant said in distress. “That’s my daughter— _your_ granddaughter—you’re talking about.”

“No. My granddaughter is Park Joohyun, a ladylike ten years old darling who has earned multiple recognitions because of her outstanding skills to play piano and violin. I don’t know anything about this Byun Dahyun. _Park_ Dahyun, my other granddaughter, has been dead to me for years.”

Baekhyun’s fists became white as her words touched old wounds he had not looked over in a long time. He smiled sardonically, which made Chanyel sweat in horror because he knew that morbid expression. Baekhyun was furious, but was fighting to hold himself back, and good things never followed that combination. 

“Mrs. Park, with all due respect, I’d appreciate if you did me a huge favor. Please, take all your shallow-brained suggestions and senseless comments, and shove them up between your doddering buttocks. Thank you very much.”

The woman was red as Baekhyun entered the room, feeling like his head would explode at any moment. Chanyeol hurried inside after the nurses had left them, and quietly closed the door behind him, the fingers grasping the handle juddering. Baekhyun was seated in the middle of the two beds, caressing Dahyun’s hair while his other hand tightly grasped Joohyun’s. Chanyeol was fuming, but acknowledged the fact that it would not be wise or beneficial to provoke a scandal there. 

He breathed in, and breathed out.

“Baekhyun.” 

_We need to talk._

“What?” Baekhyun kissed Joohyun’s band-aged knuckles before displaying his hateful gaze. Those tenacious eyes were beyond indignant, and Chanyeol knew they would cause him a headache. “If you’re expecting me to go out there and apologize, you should know that I’m not doing that. Not again. We’re not married anymore, Chanyeol, and I won’t lower my dignity to please a spiteful woman who only cares about herself. Your mother doesn’t deserve a minute of our time”, he gestured to his daughters and himself. “Drop it.”

“Baekhyun—”

“No! Don’t start. I’m not going to seat here and listen to you defending her. Did you hear what she said, Chanyeol? Because I did, loud and clear, and I’m not letting the matter go. She degraded Dahyun, your daughter, and that’s unacceptable”, the giant opened his mouth to reply, but Baekhyun did not let him. 

After years of pent-up frustration, he was finally given the opportunity to vent out. 

He stood up. “Even when she did nothing but humiliate me while we were married, I thought it was okay. _I wasn’t as pretty as her coworkers’ daughters?_ Alright, I still managed to captivate you and that was enough. _My cooking was not good enough?_ Okay, I’m working on it, there’s always something new to learn. _I didn’t do the household chores as well as she had expected?_ Yes, I’ve always known those aren’t my forte, but oh, sorry for not meeting your standars... I accepted all that because I loved you. I thought I was ready to face everything by your side, even enduring your mother’s mistreatment for your sake. _She’s my mother-in-law, I have to respect her; Chanyeol loves her._ But, you know what? Every person has a limit to their tolerance, Chanyeol, and she abused mine.”

Baekhyun inhaled.

“You didn’t listen back there when I tried to speak to you about _this_ , but you’re going to do it now, whether you like it or not, because it’s about our daughters. Over my dead body that woman is ever speaking to my daughters the way she did to me. If she keeps it up, she’s going to regret it. _You_ are going to regret it. Am I clear?”

Chanyeol had never seen Baekhyun like that. He had seen him mad before, but never had anyone driven Baekhyun to the verge of sheer madness. He seemed ready to kill and spill blood. 

“I know she’s boorish, Baekhyun. I had to deal with her all my childhood. I know”, Chanyeol started, voice raising the slightest bit. “But I know her better than anyone, and under her harsh words and cold pretense, she cares. She means well... I swear on my life. She’s your daughters’ grandmother, so I’m begging you to go out there and amend things with her. Please, Baekhyun. You’re better than this.”

There was a painful question buried deep down his compulsive demand, but Baekhyun did not want to answer it. 

“I can’t tell if you’re too stupid, too blinded or both”, the smaller barked, pride hurt, forgotten insecurities re-opened. “I’m not doing this, Chanyeol, and I’m not sorry for that.”

“I know her ways are dificult to understand, but I know she adores both Joohyun and Dahyun equally. They’re her only grandchildren. Deep in her heart, she’s just worried about them. Baek, please... Please.”

 _Worried about them taking anything after me, you mean_. “No, Chanyeol. No. Not this time.”

Chanyeol felt like he was back to their first year of marriage, when the pointless fights began. He felt like he was in his twenties again, all clueless and inexperienced regarding life, feeling utterly powerless when facing Baekhyun’s willful acerbity. 

“You’re being unreasonable, Baekhyun! She’s an elder. She’s been through so much... she deserves your respect!”

“No, you’re being unreasonable. You gain respect, Chanyeol, not demand it. How can you ask me to apologize to her, when she was the one who insulted my daughter in the first place?” The smaller affronted him with a brute, wolfish smile. “Do you want to an apology from me? Well, I’m not uttering a single word until she says it first.”

“You know she’s not going to do it, Baek... She’s too haughty”, he rubbed his face out of frustration, and his temples started to beat. “Baekhyun, please. She’s going to be insufferable if you don’t take the first step.”

“I guess it’s a good time for her to start learning how to treat people. I have high self-respect, too, but that doesn’t prevent me from discerning what’s right from what’s not, or acting according.”

Incredulity plagued Chanyeol’s features. “So, do you think what you did out there it’s right? Insulting my mother because you can’t control your episodes of wrath? Is that your definition of right?”

“No! That was years of unfair approaches doing justice to her. And don’t make it seem like everything is _my_ fault. I exploded, yes... But she’s one of your daughter’s closest role models...”, Baekhyun voiced his biggest concern and his speech became wobbly as the emotion suffocated him. “Are you really okay with Joohyun learning how to belittle people from her? Because, if that’s the case, I’m forbidding her from ever getting near Dahyun. I can’t just take Joohyun away from you, but... if that woman remains close, I’ll find a way to do it, Chanyeol. I wouldn’t forgive myself if I ever exposed them like that. No, Chanyeol... No.”

“You... you’re unbelievable...” Chanyeol, who was shuddering out of anger, took a step back to get some sense of space and calm. He seemed to crash into an internal crisis. “That’s—that’s your solution for everything, isn’t it?” 

“What?”

“When things don’t flow as you like, you escape. You run away. You take the easiest way out... like a coward”, Chanyeol’s brain stopped functioning when those almond-shaped became more rebellious. He was seeing the old Baekhyun again, but much stronger and introspective than before, and that messed up his overtaxed mind. “You don’t fight, Baek. You flight from it. You’re... terrified to be in pain. To face sacrifices.” 

Baekhyun’s veins were palpitating with fury. “That’s not true! How dare you say that to me, Park Chanyeol?! After everything I endured for you, how dare you?!”

“You didn’t fight for Joohyun”, the giant’s shoulders fell, and Baekhyun became speechless when the raw agony inside those gentle eyes was released. 

Chanyeol had finally said it. The burden... he was freeing himself from the spiteful load. 

“You took your belongings, picked a twin and left, just like that. The only thing that prevented me from going insane was Joohyun... Do you have an idea of how sick she got after you took Dahyun away? I thought we were going to lose her.”

Baekhyun showed him his back, unable to handle Chanyeol’s blunt vexation. _I do, because Dahyun fell severely ill as well._

“I didn’t hear from you until a month later, when the divorce papers arrived. You left me and threw away our marriage, and that hurt like a fucking bitch... but nothing would ever hurt more than knowing how you disposed of our daughter so easily. You talk about my mother degrading Dahyun, but what about you? Isn’t treating Joohyun like trash just as degrading?”

Baekhyun covered his mouth and squeezed his eyes shut. _You’re wrong. That wasn’t easy. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done._

“You can’t judge me... You have no right. You don’t understand how much I was suffering, Chanyeol. It wasn’t healthy. Our marriage turned toxic... I thought it was for the best. I was twenty-two, for God’s sake!”

“You weren’t the only one suffering, Baekhyun!” Chanyeol shouted. “You see me like a villain because you think I didn’t lift a finger every time my mother harassed you, but you’re wrong. You were my everything. I tried, every single time, to get you on her good side, but she would make empty promises to me and leave me disappointed. I failed you again and again—she’s not a saint, I know that, but she’s my mother and I believed in giving her multiple chances. You were who taught me that, Baek. That was you wished you had done with your parents, wasn’t it?!”

Baekhyun’s vision was clouded by pain.

“Don’t bring them into this! You know they were horrendous parents! If they didn’t treat _me_ well, do you honestly believe they would have been respectful towards you?!” The giant deflated a bit, regretting ever mentioning the Byun marriage. “If they were still alive, I would have given them a chance, _yes_ , but you and our daughters would have been my priority all along. I wouldn’t have stood any mistreatment. I’d have banned them from my life then.” 

“Are you... implying that I should’ve chosen between my parents... and you guys?” Chanyeol and Baekhyun glared at each other, but the smaller did not deny it. “You know I... wouldn’t, _couldn’t_ do that, Baekhyun. You’re all my family. _Were_... at least. Just because you didn’t feel indebted to your parents and could have easily shaken them off, doesn’t mean everyone can do the same. My parents are important to me.”

Chanyeol was coldly sweating when Baekhyun remained quiet.

“I don’t think your mother ever considered me part of her family. She wouldn’t give me any chances, Chanyeol. She was torturing me, and I didn’t have anyone to turn in... to confide in. She always brainwashed you, I swear,” The smaller gritted his teeth. “She’s your mother, I get... But I was your husband, _your_ partner. I think I deserved better.”

Baekhyun shook his head and hugged himself, and Chanyeol’s defensive stance relaxed. As he took in the smaller’s pitiful countenance, he felt like crying. 

“You took a drastic decision and I can accept your reasons to loathe me... But still, even if you didn’t want to be related to me, you shouldn’t have condemned Joohyun as well. It was unfair. She shouldn’t have payed for _my_ mistakes. We should’ve protected them from the discrepancies between us.”

“I felt trapped”, Baekhyun said without reservations. “I wasn’t going to wait until it all killed me. I needed to go... I needed it. But I couldn’t take they both from you, so I trusted you to take care of Joohyun. It was the only way I could leave without completely hating myself. It seemed like the fairest solution. Why can’t it be enough for you? What else did you want for me, Chanyeol?”

“... I wish you had trusted me to take care of you, Baekhyun. I’d have never allowed it to break you. I promised that... or, did you forget our vows as well?”

There was a heavy pause.

Baekhyun seemed resigned. “I already told you: what’s done is done. I did wrong, but our past won’t change how things are now. It’s over.”

“You learn from your past. Try to think about it.”

Chanyeol knew this was an argument none of them could win. He knew he was not all wrong, but Baekhyun was not entirely right either. The giant tilted his throbbing head, seeking consolation from his daughters’ serene states, only to freeze when he noticed something out of ordinary.

Something glistened under the lights and Chanyeol would have missed it if he had not angled his head the way he did. They had removed the gauzes and dressing from their faces that morning, and it was a little hard to distinguish anything from the purple-green bruises and reddish cuts. 

Even so, Chanyeol could clearly see that Joohyun and Dahyun had almost invisible tear-tracks on their barely flushed cheeks. 

Their daughters were crying. 

“Shit...” Chanyeol moved Baekhyun aside rather harshly, bending over to clean the thin, salty lines on Dahyun’s tender skin. They were warm, yet they felt like ice on the naked tips of his shaky fingers. “It can’t be...” He wiped Joohyun’s then, and his stomach plumed to the depths of hell.

He had made their daughters sad. _They_ had made their daughters sad. They had failed them once again.

“What are you doing now?” Baekhyun growled, pushing him back and away from their daughters. The smaller followed Chanyeol’s hollow gaze, and felt an electric shock paralyzing his body when he noticed what the giant had in sight. “No... no... Please, no...” 

He restlessly pressed the nurse call button as he sobbed as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm traveling back to my city tonight, so perhaps tomorrow I'll be too tired to update this. I hope this is enough for now :3


	4. Part IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took more than a week to be uploaded. I'm a little busy with school, so... I hope you like this :) leave your comments! Your feedback is really good. Thank you so much for your time!

Kim Jongdae and Kim Minseok visited them the following morning. The aftermath of their clash had not even been remotely expected; their girls almost had a seizure—though doctors could not squarely explain why—, but nurses had reached them before their vitals went out of regular control. They could not reveal the whole true to the medical staff once they were asked; they were still too horrified and ashamed for what their intense disagreement had caused.

As a consequence, Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s attitudes inclined towards hostility. Even so, they managed to welcome Minseok and Jongdae as warmly as possible, not wanting to impose their ill mood. Baekhyun and Jongdae had hardly spoken after the girls’s accident because the other’s irrational remorse would not allow him to show his face or exchange more than a few words with him. Baekhyun was grateful his friend had gathered enough courage to call on the twins, in spite of still feeling somewhat ashamed. Dahyun adored him, and it would have been a great disappointment if he failed to see her at least once.

“The box is for both of you... as another apology”, Chanyeol received what the couple had brought to dispense with a polished, diplomatic smile. It was a big basket with flowers, three get-well-soon balloons of colorful ribbons and an expensive bottle of wine. He thanked before putting the gifts over the sofa, sighing softly as he wearily eyed the happy faces printed on the balloons.

“Aw, look at these. They’re adorable”, said Baekhyun, plucking out and studying a pair of plush-toys. A golden retriever and a Siberian husky stared right back at him with their plastic circles they had instead of eyes, so devoid of lively sparks. They were handmade, and extremely well-done, which made Baekhyun’s sweet grin wider. “Thank you so much, Dae, Minnie-hyung... It’s funny you brought these, you know? The puppy I got for Dahyun is a mix between a golden and a husky. They call him goberian, or something.” 

“Really? What did you name them?” Minseok politely asked, and Baekhyun froze, beckonig Chanyeol’s sharp gaze to him. 

The smaller gulped.

“I wanted Dahyun to name him, but Nana, a friend who’s looking after him, said she needed a name to train him... we don’t really know how long is he staying with her, so...”, the smaller laughed in dismissal. The three men observing him felt a shiver run down their spines at the dry sound. “We decided on Suho... So he can be like her guardian once she— _they_ wake up.”

Baekhyun approached their beds, cradling the plushes close to his chest with an evident urgency. Chanyeol was the only one who seemed to notice such idle gesture, and it simply twisted his guts out of despair.

Minseok stroke his partner’s neck once he noticed his crestfallen face, and Chanyeol, who had turned his head to watch them closely, managed to barely lift his lips when Jongdae displayed his teeth in a timid, genuine smile.

“How are you two doing?” The taller man inquired, trying to divert the attention from Baekhyun’s dull expression so Jongdae would not get depressed again. “It’s good to see you guys again.”

“Fine...” Jongdae softly answered while Minseok pecked his cheek. “A little stressed with work, but overall good. Returning to classes from summer vacation always gets on my nerves; I swear kids these days enjoy making their teachers suffer. How about you? I mean...” He coughed, side-glancing at the sleeping twins. “How are you guys feeling?”

Chanyeol frowned, still bitter about how his deeds prompted injurious consequences. It made Jongdae frown as well.

“You should put the husky on Dahyun’s side, and the golden on Joohyun’s”, Minseok suddenly instructed Baekhyun, which perplexed both the smaller and Chanyeol. He laughed nervously, scratching his cheekbone. “It’s an inside joke. They’ll understand when they wake up.”

Baekhyun sat down and looked at them with great anticipation. “Can you explain it to us? The joke... Please?”

“Wait... if you don’t mind, we have some questions for you”, Chanyeol smoothly meddled in, nudging the smaller man so he could give him some space on the small sofa. Baekhyun silently complied, sliding a little to the left. “Like how they met... and stuff.”

After Jongdae and Minseok had given their declarations to the police, they had not talked about the matter. It became a taboo because of Jongdae’s guilt. Minseok had told Baekhyun—and Chanyeol’s friends who had interrogated him—what he could recall about their daughters, but his knowlegde was not as extensive since his work was mainly on the administrative side. Their daughters had been assigned to different cabins, and he could barely remember how their interactions during the group activities he had overseen were. They had over three hundred kids, so it was hard to isolate specific faces. But he had heard a lot from an euphoric Jongdae about their curious case: Baekhyun had two daughters, twins, who had met at the camp and were learning to become inseparable, which confirmed everyone’s suspicions about Joohyun and Dahyun knowing they were sisters.

Minseok had apologized for his limited knowledge when they had insisted to hear more, assuring them that Jongdae knew much more than him; he was a councelor at the camp and it was a well-known fact that kids loved him. Minseok was certain his partner would narrate everything with generous details once he overcame his culpability, so pleaded them to abide their position. They desisted from forcefully prying after seeing the smaller’s intervenition. Baekhyun, who suspected Jongdae was the first person Dahyun went to after meeting Joohyun, knew very well his friend needed time to weigh and digest what had happened, to accept it and move on, so he let him be.

Now, it was finally paying off. 

“They met because of a fight at the beginning of the second week. Some boys were pestering a girl from Dahyun’s cabin and she jumped into action to help her... She punched one of them and made him cry. She got him an ugly bruise.”

Baekhyun hid his face behind his hands as his ears and face spontaneously became bloody red. “Little rascal never listens to me. I swear she’s as headstrong as you’re, Chanyeol... I’m blaming you for her obstinacy.”

“You’re worse than me in that aspect, Baekhyun”, he retaliated with a frown. “Besides, I think you should be proud that she kicked some ass for someone’s honor. She’s an avenger and that’s something noble. Something to prize.”

Baekhyun growled at him. “Don’t encourage her to use violence to resolve things.”

Chanyeol’s eyes dangerously narrowed.

“Don’t worry, Baek, the fight wasn’t that big”, Jongdae crooned, aiming to ease the growing tension. Baekhyun knew that mild tone was the same he used when speaking to kids, but decided against calling him out for that. “The boys and Dahyun weren’t reported. The monitor who found them, a friend of mine who goes by Luna, took them to my office so we could talk about it. The thing is, Luna mistook Dahyun for Joohyun—she was familar with Joohyun’s group since they did most activities together. Hence, she called her cabin monitor, Amber. That started a huge controversy. I asked Luna to look for Yeri, Dahyun’s cabin monitor, but she told me she wasn’t Joohyun’s monitor, and that she had already called Amber. 'Her name is Park Joohyun!', she kept telling me until Amber showed up and asked us to be quick because she had a kid waiting at the nurse. It happened to be Joohyun, who had fallen down to a gully. Imagine Luna’s reaction after hearing that. It was so confusing. I had no idea why Luna would try to convince me about Dahyun being, well, another person... Until they brought Joohyun over to see me, and I understood her dilemma.”

Chanyeol pinched his nose. “Just for the record... Was Joohyun too injured after her fall?”

“No... She was just a little shaken up and needed someone to talk about it. It seems she’s really clumsy”, Jongdae chuckled, and Minseok slapped his arm when Chanyeol’s face was shadowed by distress. “I’m sorry... That was uncalled for.”

“It actually became a huge thing for days. Two girls who were identical and didn’t know about each others’ existences. The talk of the month”, Minseok added, before showing them his youthful smile which always worked on appeasing people. “I think it’s amazing that you sent them to the same camp without knowing, though.”

“Don’t even say it, hyung. I’m still in shock because of such coincidence...” Baekhyun sighed. “Well, what happened after that? How did they even meet?”

Jongdae wetted his lips, humming. “I introduced them. People said there are seven people who look exactly like you around the world and I thought that was the case with these two, since I didn’t know that Dahyun had a twin sister. Things didn’t go as I had planned. To start with, Dahyun became straightforward and defensive. She demanded to know if Joohyun’s father was a jerk named Chanyeol. Joohyun was taken aback... and then became angry. Really angry... she even cried.” 

“I’m going to hell...” Baekhyun muttered, and Chanyeol nodded with a neutral expression. 

Jongdae gave Chanyeol a long, dallying look, raising an eyebrow. “Joohyun asked her if Dahyun’s carrier was a dead man called Baekhyun. Jesus, I thought they would hit each other right there and then. It’s rare to get me at loss of words, but I was so lost... I can’t even imagine how they must have felt. I know I don’t have any kids, nor do I know what transpired between the two of you for this to happen, but... I know it’s my duty to remind you this: you should’ve not lied to them like that. It was awful to see the result.”

Baekhyun clenched his jaw as Chanyeol’s fists turned white. The taller man grumbled something—he was chastising himself for giving his daughters more problems—, and Baekhyun, who had a keen sense of hearing, recognized an insult and felt provoked. 

He held his chin high. “At least my lie didn’t go as far as killing somebody.”

Chanyeol was sick of their arguments, but could not fight the urgency that impelled to reciprocate Baekhyun’s verbal attacks. 

“They wouldn’t have been so angry if you hadn’t filled Dahyun’s head with a bad impression of me, Baekhyun. I at least told Joohyun you used to be good person. Don’t even try to get things on your favor because it’ll backfire.”

A vein popped on Baekhyun’s forehead.

“I’m not doing that... I’m just stating a fact. Keep your temper in check, please. I don’t want to discuss now.”

Chanyeol huffed, rolling his eyes. “Whatever.”

The visitors shared a knowing look before Jongdae rearranged his posture, straightening his back, and cleared his throat. 

“Maybe you won’t want to heed my advice for my lack of parental experience, but I’m telling you to try to fix things slowly. This is coming from an specialist. Take baby steps. Your daughters will want explanations, so don’t lie to them again, and don’t turn this into a pointless war... You’re a family. Don’t ruin that for them. Joohyun and Dahyun were beyond thrilled after the anger had dissipated”, both parents remained quiet as Jongdae gave them a kind, sympathetic look. “Would you like some hear about how they became friends? It has to do with a girl group my Minnie actually likes...” he offered, and they spent the rest of the afternoon hearing his anecdotes.

* * *

“See you tomorrow.”

They made their way to the parking lot, where the rental car Yifan had gotten awaited. Both had been feeling dumb and incompetent since Jongdae and Minseok left, not knowing if it was time to apologize for the incident sparked by Mrs. Park’s comment, or if they should let the issue gradually fade. Neither seemed like a good enough option at the moment, though.

“You don’t have to give me ride if you don’t want. I can take a cab”, Baekhyun remarked with a grave tone. He had his slim fingers grapped around the door handle, but Chanyeol’s distasteful gaze stopped him from getting on the car. “I won’t mind. I get it. You don’t have to force yourself to be nice.”

“I’m not letting you pay for a cab. It’s late and we’re going to the same place. I’m not a complete jerk, Baekhyun. Just get in”, he replied, and the smaller complied without another word. 

It was almost midnight when they arrived at the hotel. Baekhyun had suggested they stopped to get something to eat, seeing that Chanyeol’s mood was strangely skittish and he wanted to patch their predicamment before they parted ways in such ill terms again. He had spent five minutes insisting he would pay for their food until Chanyeol gave in to his queries. The smaller felt like he owned Chanyeol; the situation with Mrs. Park would have not scalated if he had not reacted to her nasty provocations, and, well, he should not have tarnished Chanyeol’s good-nature reputation just because he was scared of Dahyun meeting her father and choosing to stay with him. He educated Dahyun about being polite with everybody, even ill-disposed people, and his emotional botch inwardly stirred a repellant notion of hypocrisy. He had failed his daughter in more than one way.

The giant felt he was the one in debt, likewise, since his mother’s bad humor did not have justification, and he had admitted to himself that his fabrication about Baekhyun’s death was out of line. However, Baekhyun tended to get moody and unreasonable when people razed his attempts of redeeming himself, so he decided to let it pass until an opportunity to repay the other appeared. Fighting was not exactly improving their situation; Chanyeol was truly tired of their senseless discussions.

“Did you know there is a teddy bear farm near?” The smaller suddenly brought up, just as they calmly trod into the lobby of the guesthouse. 

It was a comfy, modern building. The décor strove to be lively and practical, with simple furniture of bright leather surfaces, some glossy pieces made of wood, and basic electronic devices. It also possessed many bay and large windows, which permitted to bask in cascades of light while gaping at the breathtaking view of the endless ocean. 

The doors clicked after closing behind them. They started climbing the u-shaped staircase, their steps resonating through the empty halls with an eerie force.

“No, I didn’t”, the giant said in a low voice. “Is it near?”

“It’s a twenty-minutes drive from here. We should take Dahyun and Joohyun there... Someday. I think they would like that.”

Chanyeol thought about it, and his features unwillingly scrunched up. “Do you want us to act like a family now? Are you serious?”

“We’re a family”, Baekhyun stated, eyes hard and speech tone impassive. “Even if you despise it, or if I’m not precisely comfortable with the idea, it doesn’t change the fact that we are one. We already share this unbreakable link. Everyone is right—it’s time to start behaving like reasonable grown ups and learn to approach this with level-headness. Let’s do it for our daughters’ sake, and to regain some peace of mind.”

“Tough luck, isn’t it?”

They halted once they reached Baekhyun’s floor, but the smaller man did not move to step into the dim hallway. Chanyeol was staying in an upper apartment with his mother and cousin, so he still had three floors to go before he could collapse on his queen-sized bed and sleep their hectic, overtaxing day away. And, even if Baekhyun’s deliberated tarrying was not being appreciated, he chose to put with the delay.

“You know... I was thinking about opening the wine bottle Jondgae got us. I think a glass would do us a favor”, Baekhyun hesitated before tilting his head towards his room’s direction. “I know you said I could have it, but... we should share it. It’s been a rough, stressful day. You need it as much as I do.”

“I’m really tired, Baekhyun. Go ahead... I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Please”, Baekhyun’s loud plea whooshed. The smaller’s hand shook the box as the owner provided a bashful, opaque grin. His naturally-bright eyes seemed as drained as Chanyeol imagined his own. They looked lifeless, lost... and lonely. 

Chanyeol came to realize that, while he had Yifan and his mother to welcome him after a particularly hard journey, Baekhyun had no one there to share his burden. _Physically_ there. It gave him a nauseating sense of guilt.

“Come on... This is a peace offering, Chanyeol. You must accept it. Let’s pretend we don’t want to shred each other into pieces... please?” The smaller’s next rectangular smile was too forced, like was ready to give up if Chanyeol refused again. “I’ve said please twice. You can’t decline my generosity now. So, what do you say?”

Chanyeol was too tired to argued against that “logic”. 

“Alright. We share one glass and we both go to sleep. Doctor wants to talk about inpatient transferring tomorrow, and we better be early for that.”

However, it did not transpire as they had predicted. One glass turned into two, and then four, and, before they knew it, Chanyeol had snuck inside his apartment to steal the brand six-pack Yifan had brought that morning. The sole reason Chanyeol had managed to fall asleep the past few weeks was because of an infallible trick: he would slowly empty one strong beer before going to bed, which would knock him out for a couple of hours.

Baekhyun was switching channels when the taller returned to the his studio-room, and Chanyeol took a seat beside him, mindful of his tipsy clumsiness. He shook a beer in front of Baekhyun’s squinted eyes, and his companion wordlessly accepted it before continuing with his task. At the end, he found some music program repeating hot-topic performances of trending groups and decided they would have to bear with it, because he was not seeing more re-runs of doramas or hearing more disheartening news. 

“Saturday night and we’re here, stuck watching an inconsequential show created to increase exploding showbiz’ profits”, Chanyeol sipped his beer and smirked. “Terrific.”

Baekhyun threw his head back and joyfully laughed, jugdement a little clouded. “Don’t complain, old man. There is nothing else to see”, he shrugged and hoisted his drink. “For the bureaucratic industry! Cheers!” 

Four girls appeared on the TV screen, and they both hooted when they recognized the opening.

Baekhyun straightened himself as if he had been offered gold. “Baby girl likes that song!”

“My princess, too... is that the group Jondgae said? Mama—something?” Chanyeol asked, gesturing Baekhyun to raise the volume. “The one that got them together.”

“Yes! Thank God for the music the brings people together... hey, I know the lyrics of this!” Baekhyun stood up, unbalanced legs almost giving in, and tried to imitate the girl’s provocative pose before clearing his throat to harmonize his vocals. “Listen, Yeol! I’m going to nail this. _Right now it’s ten minutes ’til twelve. We slowly become drunk in the mood..._ ”

The giant hollered when the smaller pretended to give him a sultry, almost risqué look, “stop it, Baek—I can’t breathe!”

“ _Even the silence between—_ ”, and then he hit the carpet hem and stumbled, toppling over Chanyeol and knocking their beers out of their hands. They stared at each other for a finite instant, reality crumbling down to leave fuzzy veil around them. 

It got warm.

The smaller slowly blinked, lilting in a very soft level. “ _... It feels like it’s going to explode..._ ”

Baekhyun gulped as he yearningly admired Chanyeol’s pink lips, and when his ex-husband shifted closer and gently secured his hands on his sensitive hips, they both knew they had lost it.

The song kept playing behind them.

_You and I kiss, I feel good._  
_I give myself to you, I feel good._  
_This is a little dangerous, dangerous, dangerous..._

* * *

Something was vibrating near his aching head, and it was driving Baekhyun insane. There was not a single part of his body that was not sore, or still pulsating. He was hot, sticky and overall wretched—perhaps he was falling ill. Thus, the last thing he desired to do was to deal with whoever was calling him at such ungodly hour. 

A delicious warmth brushed his aching back, yet he was too dizzy to decipher its origin. It could not be Heechul paying him an unexpected visit, since his friend was attending important business in England. Maybe his cousins had come to see him again and trudged in while he was sound asleep, but he doubted he would be as comfortable if they were there. 

A husky groan followed the crawling of the exquisite heat, and when the owner of such source of pleasure answered the restless phone, Baekhyun went stiff because its familiar bass and drowsy rasp were unmistakable. His groggy brain was barraged by questions, but the smaller decided to ignore all of them. He just focused on trying to remember... 

_Why is Chanyeol here?_

Chanyeol’s skin had paled the moment he had noticed his lack of clothes and who was the man reposing by his side, equally naked. However, he turned completely colorless once he checked the hour on his cellphone and realized who was calling him. 

“Shit—Yifan, don’t scream, I’m alright... yes, shit, I’m looking at the hour”, Chanyeol groaned before falling quiet.

Baekhyun, who was now better aware of his confusing surroundings, almost felt like his silence was tangibly _painful_. 

“Say... what?” His tone cracked, and the smaller shivered again. “What...? That’s not... not funny... Yifan...”

In his panicking state of mind, Chanyeol leapt out of the bed, harshly yanking the flismy sheet with him and exposing his companion to a sudden chill blast. Baekhyun, who was jolted awake by the coldness, had never felt as vulnerable and bewildered as he did when he scanned the abused exterior of his bare body. Vehement hands seized his narrow shoulders as he became lost in wary thoughts, and Chanyeol violently shook him back into full consciousness. The smaller was utterly startled by the giant’s distraught appearance. 

_Last night—last night—_

His thoughts became a mess. “Chan-cha-’”

“Baek! Baekhyun, hey!” The giant had tears streaming down each side of his profile, and Baekhyun shivered when some fell over his cold palms. He felt absolutely numb. “The girls are awake! Baek—they’re back! We gotta go, now!”

Baekhyun’s breath hitched, and his vision became misty. “Oh... oh my God! Oh my God!”

Before he could jump out of the bed, though, Chanyeol held Baekhyun’s face in place and stole an ardent kiss from him. The sinful contact was harsh, deep, and breathtaking. The smaller spluttered when those foreign nevertheless familiar lips detached from his, and squeaked as he started feeling fretful while witnessing Chanyeol hastily picking his clothes and throwing them on.

Chanyeol’s head popped out of his wrinkled shirt. He gave Baekhyun a nasty look. 

“Come on!”

* * *

The doctor had not allowed visitors to enter the room before the respective parents appeared. It did not matter that Mrs. Park had a biological connection with the girls, or that Yifan was one of Joohyun’s legal guardian in case Chanyeol magically vanished. The nurses had practically chased them out of the ward, requesting them to wait until Baekhyun and Chanyeol trod through the hospital gates.

Almost an hour later, the two of them rushed down the corridor and joined Yifan, both panting and choking as if they suffered from a respiratory disease. Mrs. Park had gone to talk to her husband, probably to nag him for Chanyeol’s blunder until his son decided to show up. Yifan could not even feel the relief upon seeing them arriving, since he instantly noted that their attires looked surprisingly similar to the ones they wore the prior day, and that splotchy marks and suspicious bruises covered their necks. Rage almost got the best of him, but he knew it was not the time nor the place to censure the pair for their careless, totally imbecilic behavior. 

“What the hell were you thinking?! The girls have been awake for an hour, damn it!” He roared, an unsteady finger signaling the door of the room. Nurses finally identified them and hurried to usher them inside, but Yifan roughly grasped his cousin’s bicep before he could follow them. “Chanyeol, we need to talk after that.”

The giant held his cousin’s stern gaze with an undecipherable emotion.

When Baekhyun touched Yifan’s hand with freezing tips, the long fingers of the Chinese jerked back, freeing Chanyeol from the brute grip. 

“Later”, the taller murmured the instant Yifan turned to glare at Baekhyun, and took the smaller’s hand on his own before both of them ran inside their girls’ room.

Glorious was the sight of the two little girls sitting upright, on beds that had been arranged into unbending positions. Their dainty, innocent aura combined with their orthopedic casts and their mummy-like envelopment made them look like they had literally fallen from heaven. They simulteneously turned to see who had come inside, and it was almost spooky how in-sync their movements seemed to be. Upon recognizing their parents, they both twisted their necks to rapturously grin at each other before beaming at the new-comers.

“Papa!”

“Appa!”

It was good that Joohyun’s hair was much longer than Dahyun’s, whose locks barely passed her shoulders, because they were exactly alike. At first look, it was extremely hard to tell them apart. Their features were indistinguisable. They used the same shrieking volume and their voices echoed with the same melodious tone.

After seconds of nerve-shattering appreciation, Baekhyun dashed off and approached Dahyun’s side, while Chanyeol darted to Joohyun’s bed. They both were in some type of synchronization as well, because they tripped with the wires not a second later and almost crashed with their daughters’ frail bodies. They resisted the need to envelope them in a stronghold-like hugs with all their might, since the girls were still visibly delicate and recovering, and opted to shower them with kisses. 

“Appa’s missed you so much, you have no idea... My princess... I love you so much...”

“God, baby girl, you can’t imagine how worried I was... Papa loves you... he adores you...”

The girls were oddly silent by the time they had finished fussing over them. Baekhyun was the first to raise his head, catching a glimpse of her semblance through his tearful vision. A soft whimper left his aching throat when he found Dahyun’s sorrowful eyes admiring Chanyeol from afar, a strangling sentiment jeopardizing his breathing. Just then, he noticed the sad, timid glances Joohyun kept shooting at him while Chanyeol caressed her hands, and a new wave of unknown pain upsurged through him. The giant had slowed down his motions upon sensing something was off, but he had not realized what their daughters were hankering.

Baekhyun coughed to gain his attention. “Hey, Chanyeol.”

“What...”, he halted when Dahyun’s blush appeared, and everything seemed to come down when his expression became torn. 

It was a terrible predicament. He did not want to leave his daughter’s side, but could not allow Dahyun to look at him like that, like she was dying to be solely acknowledged by him. 

“Yeol, come...” Baekhyun gestured Joohyun with his hand, and smiled. “It’s okay.”

And then they were exchanging sides, Chanyeol crying while he gently hugged Dahyun for the first time in ten years, Baekhyun’s knees failing him as Joohyun sobbed when he glued his lips to her forehead after nine years. 

“My baby girl, you’ve grown up so beautiful...” Baekhyun whispered, and Joohyun cried more as she softly repeated to herself that he was alive. “I love you so, so much.”

“My little baby duck is now a gorgeous princess, isn’t she?” Chanyeol twittered against Dahyun’s ear, which made the little girl nod in happiness. “I’ve missed you so much... I love you.”

Someone cleared their throat, and both parents jerked back, leerily looking at the doctor stepping inside. 

“Glad you made it. I need to discuss some things with you guys, so I’d appreciate if you came with me. The nurses are going to change the girls’ bandages and bring them some food meanwhile, so don’t worry”, he clicked his pen, and gave the twins a charming smile. “Do you mind if I borrow your parents for a little while? I promise I’ll return them in a few minutes, safe and sound.”

Joohyun shook his head with a shy flush while Dahyun grinned like the Cheshire cat. “Please, don’t bring them back if they don’t buy us candies”, the Byun girl said, which stole a joyful laugh from their doctor.

Baekhyun snorted, whiping some of his tears out of his eyes. “Excuse me, young lady? It seems you’ve gotten it wrong. You’re sick, Dahyun, so zero candies for both of you. Health comes first, and that’s final.”

She pouted, displaying her best puppy eyes. Chanyeol’s heart stopped as he retreated, almost hiding behind a nurse to protect himself from her clever gaze. _This is not good. That is Baekhyun’s trick. He might be immune to it, but I’m not._

“But papa...”

The smalled crossed his arms. “No, Dahyun.”

“Papa, please?”

“No.”

Dahyun’s calculating eyes found Joohyun’s quizzical orbs, and they nodded after sharing a classified message, not clear to third parties. Dahyun looked at a spechless Chanyeol then, turning his smile into a sheepish line. “...Appa? Can I have some candies?”

Baekhyun’s eyebrow twitched. “I said—”

“I would like some candies as well, please. Is that okay... papa?” Joohyun slowly twirled one finger over the sheet, nervous and unsure, and they were surprised she did not complain about it causing her any pain. Baekhyun’s entire frame froze and he looked up at Chanyeol, almost pleading him to say something.

The giant was as hopeless as him. 

“Okay”, they finally agreed before walking the doctor out.

* * *

“Another month and we’ll be ready to go...” 

Baekhyun hummed as they set the cash over the counter, trembling eyes never venturing far, too fearful of meeting the other’s. After the rush of hormones—too much adrenaline, endorphins and oxytocin—had perished and the levels returned to a low amount, the awkward realization and great discomfort regarding their unspeakable night were released. Every time Chanyeol did anything, even something as inconsequential as coughing, Baekhyun would get an automatic response, as if his aroused body was still affected, and clearly unsatisfied, because of their encounter. 

It was a strange thing. Baekhyun had not been intimate with anyone after their divorce, even when he had tried dating a few times in the past. It became impossible to see himself with anybody, and it tormented him as a raising phobia would do. He had started to believe that he was truly sick, and was resigned to bear with it. Obviously, his illness was not exactly what he had believed it was. While such notion brought so much relief, it also wrecked him inside-out. It was not the flight-type of anxiety that destroyed his nerves, but the fight-type of anticipation that gave him nerve for something. Baekhyun was too frightened to face what that something, that delusion, was.

For his part, Chanyeol could not properly speak to Baekhyun without getting blinded by steamy flashes of their unexpected night, so he had stopped talking all together. It was horrendous how improper and critical their affair rationally seemed, yet he somehow esteemed it, in some romantic and absurd degree, because he still valued Baekhyun as someone important to him—he was the loving carrier of his daughters and his once beloved ex-husband, after all. He felt utterly devastated and blamable, though, and the only reason he had not lost his unflappable semblance yet was his daughters’ miraculous awakening and it soothing reassurance of hope. 

The taller picked their plastic bag, full of Jolly Rancher and Life Savers’ candies and sour gummies, and they both exited the convenience store in complete silence. Even if they were five minutes away from the hospital, being together in such bothersome state made the brief walk as exhausting as a five-kilometers marathon. They had too many things pestering their heads, and yet, their mouths had ceased to work.

“About last night”, they began at the same time, blinking in shock and sharing strained smiles out of sheer embarrasament. “Go ahead, Baekhyun”, Chanyeol gestured with a chivalrous grace, making his companion flinch and blush the slightest bit. 

_I want to know if it was as significant to you as it was to me._

They were climbing the entrance when the smaller opened his lips, tongue wetting the dry skin as his vocal cords almost shook the numbing fear off. 

“Well... I...” His eyes met Chanyeol’s tender ones, and he swore there was some moisture around his eyelids. “Last night was—”

“Chanyeol!” 

Sehun ambushed them out of nowhere, all sweaty and agitated. The taller of the two met his urgent strides halfway, enveloping his friend in a hug with enough force to suffocate him. The brilliant, ecstatic smile Chanyeol sported was Baekhyun’s second highlight of the day, after their daughters’ awakening. 

“Sehun-ah, Joohyun—”

“Hyung, wait! I know, but, please, hear me out first”, Sehun puffed out while he squeezed Chanyeol’s shoulders, pinning him under a meaningful look. Baekhyun stood aside, fixing a curious, almost concerned gaze on them. Sehun seemed to perceive it, but overlooked his presence as he readied himself to speak. “Hyung... She’s here. Sooyoung is here.”

Chanyeol’s worried expression made Baekhyun’s insides burn.

“What...? Why? How did she find out?” The giant’s eyes had a grave emotion on them, but Baekhyun did not if it was something he had seen before. He could not even describe what it looked or felt like.

“She went to Kyungsoo’s last night, but he refused to tell her where you were, so she called your mother instead and—”

The taller’s face turned serious, “Christ”, he muttered past his tense jaw and rushed inside, leaving the smaller with million things to manifest, and an apologetic Sehun nervously playing with his fingers as his shrank under Baekhyun’s intrigued appearance.

“Hi, hyung...” He said with an adorable, kind smile. “Luhan hyung asked me to send you his greetings.”

“Who is Sooyoung, Sehun-ah?” Baekhyun pointedly asked in return, pretending to be as nonchalant as possible, even when there was an overwhelming trepidation pouring down on him. 

“She was hyung’s girlfriend... I mean, I don’t know where they stand at the moment, since they were on a break or something... But, um, I suppose she’s back for good?” Baekhyun’s nails hurt his palms as he closed his fists, which Sehun noticed and misunderstood for something else. “Don’t worry, hyung. She’s a good girl and she likes Joohyun a lot...”

Just when Baekhyun’s face fell out of pure despair, Sehun saw the love-bites plastered all over his collarbones and neck, and finally interpreted the clues written all over Baekhyun’s shriveling stare. The visitor notably paled and his motions became panicky.

“But hyung—she—they...” 

“It’s okay”, Baekhyun said, moving past him. “I... I trust... him. I trust Chanyeol.”

The smaller entered the facilities without giving the matter another thought. He was trying to balance his objective and subjective sides, because it had once failed him to listen just one of them. However, as he reached their daughters’ floor and watched Chanyeol and a tall girl hugging, the crushing sound of his heartbreak snapped him out of his post-making love stupor and all those pointless emotions became too dull. 

_You should have known, Baekhyun._

_The past is in the past._


	5. Part V

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hi there! I'm sorry (again) for taking a little longer than expected. I was stuck with a part and hated it, and well, it took me a little while to develop it as I wanted. I'm adding to more chapters because this part ended longer than expected. Please, bear with me! Hope you like this!

Baekhyun fixedly watched his daughters as they slept. He switched his misty gaze from one to another in a constant, near obssesive pattern, almost as if he feared he would turn to find an empty bed after not paying enough attention to it. He could not take another emotional hit as deep and hurtful, so it was understandable his paranoid compulsion. Exhaustion was taking its toll on him.

The room was supposedly inhabitated by a horde of visitors, yet Baekhyun was the only adult present at the moment. Chanyeol had excused himself to have a word with Sooyoung, ignoring how Baekhyun had subtly insisted they needed to talk. Mrs. Park and Yifan had gone to retrieve some gifts they had bought for Joohyun and, miraculously, for Dahyun as well. Sehun and Kyungsoo, who had traveled all the way to Sokcho trailing behind a strong-minded Sooyoung, were getting lunch somewhere.

Even though he was by himself, he did not feel lonely. Far from it. Being alone and in peace—or something similar to it—was an experience he had not cherished in a long time, not after his divorce and single parenthood. It was time to start appreciating it, because it seemed he would have to enjoy while it shortly lasted.

 _I’ll be there next week. Hang on, don’t let the witch or his stupid son affect you_ , the message Heechul had sent him stated. Concious of the flashy red marks covering the expanse of his neck and collarbones, Baekhyun distracted himself by nervously rubbing his wrists against his inner-thighs. He clenched his teeth until his jaw hurt, and pushed his attention back to his daughters. He could almost hear Heechul’s mad rebuke and subsequent comments about his incautions, idiotic conduct while he focused on them.

“Papa?” Dahyun said in a thick nonetheless sweet voice, pretty honey-like. His heart leapt inside his ribcage, and Baekhyun found himself standing on his feet and beside his daughter before he could even blink. “Hey, papa... I missed you”, the little girl smiled at him, her features being highlighted by a heartfelt sentimentality. She rested half of her face on the pillow with a sluggish difficulty, and Baekhyun readjusted it as she slowly swept her gaze around. “Where is, um... where is appa?”

He paused, rearranging some locks behind her ear-shell and carefully treading his fingers through her dim hair. He tried to give her a soft grin, but suspected it ended looking like a lax grimace.

“Downstairs. He’s got a visit.”

“Who... who is it?” Joohyun, whose hazy gaze and blundering speech betrayed how her torpor, twaddled from her bed before glancing at their direction. Once she realized she was talking to Baekhyun, her tired eyes grew in size and cleared up, and a pearly blush spread over her cheeks and neck. “Papa...”

Dahyun grunted with a weak nonetheless playful smile. “Jojo... pictures last longer. You should take one.”

Baekhyun’s face turned as bright red as Joohyun’s, and he fought the instant response to gently smack his eldest daughter’s head. He approached the poor, flushing thing, planting a kiss on her forehead before sitting in the middle of their beds, not really knowing what to say. It still amazed that his daughters were together again, and getting along so well.

“You should be more thoughtful, nee-chan. I didn’t know we still had... a papa”, Joohyun answered, puckering her rosy lips and displaying a pair of sad eyes that melted Baekhyun’s insides. “And, your reaction with appa was the same... You have no right to judge me.”

Baekhyun was stunned when Dahyun softly laughed, the gracious curve of her mouth slimming down her eyes into narrow slits; indeed, she was too energetic for her own good.  
“But that’s because you didn’t tell me that our appa was so handsome in person, Jojo!”

“Well, you didn’t tell me that our papa... our papa was...” She shied away from Baekhyun’s curious stare, fingers apprehensively tapping the white sheets as her lips fell sealed by her overwhelming apprehension.

Dahyun’s mischiveous expression remained intact even when her father returned to scrutinize her, the air surrounding him plagued by a stern order, wordlessly demanding an explanation about what she had done _now_. If her arm had not been trapped inside a heavy cast and her body was not under so many drugs effects, Baekhyun knew she would have raised both hands in a yielding gesture.

“I swear I didn’t say anything bad, papa”, she asserted. “Tell him, Jojo. I promise he’s not as scary as he looks... Don’t be fooled.”

Baekhyun’s poise became thinner, but he could not help to smile. “Dahyun—”

“Gorgeous...” The other girl whispered, and the small man visibly was stricken with paralysis just as Dahyun’s twinkling eyes turned brighter.

He was fazed when he observed Joohyun fighting to clean some tears with the shoulder of her hospital gown. There was a moment of nerve-wrecking tension before he left his chair and made her quit her motions, gently erasing the tear tracks with his thumb instead.

Joohyun whimpered when she noticed Baekhyun’s teary, loving gaze. “Papa, you’re very gorgeous... Photos don’t do you any justice... the most gorgeous in the world...”

There was nothing as superb, and marvellous, and grand and heart-warming as receiving such compliment from his own daughter, with the same upmost genuineness, and

Baekhyun would have broken down if he had not been aware of how it could spoil their stable condition.

“Thank you, my love... But, you know what? I think you two should look at yourselves better in the mirror”, Baekhyun replied, showing them his rectangle smile and a dazzling pair of glimmering eyes. “My baby girls are the most beautiful, smartest, sweetest pair in the whole world, aren’t they? I’m so proud.”

Before the girls could say anything, the door of the room suddenly crashed against the wall, and astonished eyes shot forward to see a person rushing inside. The tall woman was there, with her pair of endless model-like legs, and her opulent curves. Even when she was dressed in a simple attire—a summer dress and peep-toes—, Baekhyun quickly noted the lavish amount of luxurious accesories: a Tiffany necklace, a Cartier bracelet, and some Bvlgari sunglasses.

“Hello”, she kindly bowed to Baekhyun.

He was surprised when he recognized the lack of evidence against her genuine politeness. At first sight, she looked nothing but amicable, and that deeply disturbed him, considering who they respectively were to Chanyeol.

“I apologize for coming over without announcing it beforehand... It’s a pleasure to meet you, Baekhyun.”

Joohyun went ahead, stretching her lips until she had a cringing face, before the smaller man could think what to say in return. “Hi, eonnie... I didn’t know you were back.”

Her flat tone slightly deflated Sooyoung, but she still strode towards his daughter’s bed. Baekhyun inched closer to her, suddenly feeling threatened by her presence. “I’m sorry I didn’t visit earlier, Joohyunnie. I arrived less than a day ago and I came here as soon as I learned what had happened. How are you feeling?”

When the woman lifted her hand and reached her exposed cheek, Baekhyun’s severe instincts kicked in and he shifted, physique prepared to charge at the intruder. If she dared to lay a single finger on the obviously uncomfortable Joohyun, Baekhyun would make her regret it.

Joohyun moved her head away before the unbidden touch could reach her, with the same swift urgency propelled by a burning flame, and Dahyun winced when the woman lowered her arm, dreadfully stepping back as if Baekhyun were pointing a gun in her direction.

“You should probably wait outside”, the smaller said, faking a sympathetic smile as he shielded his daughter with his tense frame. The woman huffed as Joohyun hummed in agreement. “But, before you go... Where is Chanyeol?”

“With his friends”, she answered before stormming out. He looked over his shoulder to confirm his daughter’s welfare, and saw her pouting at Dahyun.

“We don’t like her”, Dahyun specified as Baekhyun turned to her, arching an eyebrow.

He clicked his tongue, pretending to be disappointed, and took his seat back. “You don’t even know her, Dahyun. Prejudices aren’t good”, _I don’t like her either, though._

“Papa, Jojo doesn’t like her, and she likes everyone... or almost anyone. Sooyoung is like the only exception, right, Jojo?” The twin asked her, and her sister gave them a positive response. Baekhyun wanted to chuckle. “See? She’s not good. Don’t let her in again, papa.”

The smaller studied the seriousness on their expressions for a few moments before accepting their silence.

“Okay, lovely ones. But you must explain to me why you don’t like her, Joohyun.”

* * *

“Omma’s mad. Sooyoung called her”, a defeated Chanyeol shoved a chair from a vacant table and sat down between Sehun and Kyungsoo, shaking his head when the youngest of them slid a plate with strawberry cheesecake in front of him.

“Where is Sooyoung?” Kyungsoo asked, licking his spoon before dipping it again into his piece of cheesecake.

“Omma told her to go and try to rest at the guesthouse... since Baekhyun ordered the whole ward to keep her out of the girls’ room”, he groaned. “Omma’s furious because Sooyoung was forced to leave. She won’t cool off easily, so it’s pointless to try to reason with her. I hope Sooyoung gets the clue to pack her things and go back as soon as possible, though.”

“I’d be mad, too, if I found out that my son slept with his ex-husband, whom I hate so much”, Sehun pointed out with a little smirk, and the taller let his head fall against the table. The young man changed to a cold set of features as he spoke with upmost rectitude. “She wants you engaged with Sooyoung, so...”

“Sooyoung cheated on me... There’s never going to be anything between us again”, the giant protested, closing his eyes when a pointed wave of pain surged through his nape and assaulted his brain. The affair with Baekhyun stayed on a forsaken, foul corner of his mind, and he was not venturing around those wicked paths anytime soon.

Sehun’s face softened as he put his spoon down. “How come your omma doesn’t understand that?”

“That’s because he keeps giving everyone false hopes”, Kyungsoo said in an equally annoyed voice. “I told you to break all contact with Sooyoung three years ago, Chanyeol. I thought it was mature that you forgave her for her drunk mistakes, but when you kept refusing to definitively cut any type of communication and always asked for some time to think about getting back together... You know how she is. I should restrain myself from the pleasure of saying I told you so, but I’m not in the mood to be nice, so... I told you so.”

The giant merely sighed as he brushed his finger tips over the table. “I was in love with her... It was expected I’d want to repair our relationship, even after everything that went down... And omma likes her...”

Sehun and Kyungsoo remained oddly quiet. He heard the tattletale clicking of cutlery dividing the pieces of cheesecake, before those were brought into awaiting mouths. When he straightened his back and looked around, he discovered they were munching their desserts as they set a judgemental stare on him, as if they were reprimanding all his mistakes without verbal medium.

He became bemuddled and defensive, then. “What?”

“You weren’t in love with her, Chanyeol. You were attracted to her, and the only reason you wouldn’t get rid of your relationship was the fact that you clung to the prospect of having a body to warm up your bed during forlorn nights that your mother wouldn’t chase away. She’s been bestowed with some good physical traits... I’m positive you would have never felt aroused otherwise. That’s how frivolous your ‘love’ was”, Kyungsoo boldly stated and the giant’s frown deepened, turning his features into something spiteful. The small man just rolled his eyes, opting to save his efforts.

Sehun seemed resigned as he played with the remains of his almost-finished dessert, lost in thoughts. “We know you, hyung. We’ve seen you in love before, and... well, that wasn’t what you had with her. She’s nice and you were a... _suitable_ couple, got along well and all, but you two didn’t have the _chemistry_. I think you were okay together, but weren’t the best for each other. Do you get it?”

“Your mother ruined your first marriage, don’t let her ruin your entire life, Chanyeol...” Kyungsoo said.

“You don’t know anything”, Chanyeol stood up, slamming his hands and causing agitation among the plates and glasses. Neither Kyungsoo or Sehun flinched or seemed the slightest fazed, and that irritated him more for some unknown reason. He practically barked what he said next. “I’ll wait for my mother and Yifan on the main entrance. See you later.”

Once he had exited the place, Sehun slumped over.

“Are you ready to go? I want to see Joohyun and Dahyun”, Kyungsoo mumbled, nudging him with his foot. “They probably need us more than ever.”

* * *

When Baekhyun left the room to buy something at the cafeteria at last, he unfortunately crossed Mrs. Park’s path. Chanyeol and his friends were with the girls, and Mrs. Park had been missing for over an hour. The smaller could not even greet her sincerely upon seeing her, or disimulate his shoddy stance as she approached him. He nodded his head to acknowledge her, noting she looked just as displeased to see him.

“May I have a word? I’ll be quick”, she accosted him.

“I suppose...”

She handed him a black paper bag and, once he peeked inside, his features froze up in a puzzled manner. There were clothes inside it, from an expensive brand.

“Mrs. Park, what is this...?”

Her pose was prissy and arrogantt as she interlaced her fingers. Her demeaning gaze almost made Baekhyun feel foolish for asking. “A cashmere turtleneck sweater, a pair of fitting pants and clean underwear. It would be ideal if you dressed yourself in something more proper, Baekhyun. There is no need for the hopistal crew to ascertain your bawdy aventure with my senseless son. Please, spare your daughters and the rest of the responsible adults the secondhand mortification.”

Baekhyun was tempted to hurl the bag at her, but the fact that his dirty, recycled clothes were starting to make his skin itch was a heavy reason to reconsider the idea. He was in a break and could not afford losing time while he discussed a triviality like this with her. Hence, he accepted the present with a humble, crippled smile and advanced forward.

He should have known better.

“Did you two use protection?” She rudely obtruded, and a nurse who was walking beside them almost tripped, mirroring Baekhyun, who had clumsily halted before apologizing to the blushing nurse and moving backwards to listen to Mrs. Park. “We wouldn’t like to receive unfortunate news, as those from eleven years ago.”

His knuckles were almost blue when his fists trembled out of sheer ire. _Don’t attack, be smart_. “Mrs. Park... I was declared practically barren after my last pregnancy. Chances of getting pregnant are very low. Moreover, if you take into account not only my infertility, but my age as well, it’s less likely to happen—men pregnacies over thirties are incredibly rare. I assure you, there’s nothing to worry.”

“Alright... And please, Baekhyun, don’t misunderstand. I love my granddaughter, but I’m concerned about my son and Joohyun. They need a stable, peaceful home. I hope Chanyeol will overcome the disappointment provoked by the fiasco of his first attempt. Sooyoung is a great candidate, so don’t ruin his oportunity”, she said with a cynical snicker, and Baekhyun, forgetting all about getting lunch, dashed off towards his daughters’ room.

If only he had stayed longer, he would have witnessed Chanyeol emerging from the corner and standing before his mother with a solemn, daunting expression.

* * *

After everyone had left and their kids fell asleep, they went to the twenty-for-seven store down the corner and bought some unhealthy snacks for themselves. It was a déjà vu all over again, as they payed the candies and chips, and stopped outside the store to appreciate the night view of the hollow street.

“What did you want to tell me? About last night...” Chanyeol asked, and he momentarily lost himself in the deep, mystifying ocean of Baekhyun’s dark orbs. It was refreshing nevertheless suffocating. Baekhyun was glowing under the moonlight with a starry sky beautifully reflected around his irises.

“Oh... about that...” Baekhyun shook off the hand that lingered too long over his shoulder, taking a bag of potato chips and opening it. He could feel the other’s steady gaze on him as he blindly offered him some, but decided to ignore when his brief confrontation with Mrs. Park was replayed again. “I... We should forget the matter. Act as if it never happened.”

Chanyeol was in the process of crunching on a chip when surprise overtook his self. He stopped, looking hesintantly at the smaller man. “Are you sure about that?”

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be? A drunken slip shouldn’t change anything...” The smaller bitterly mumbled, before yanking his turtleneck and exposing his bruises. “Look at this, look at yourself, Chanyeol... There was nothing but lust and downright frustration between us last night”, he emphasized his point with an downcast frown, as if he were too grossed out with the evidence of their affair (which he was not). “I think it’d be for the best if we pretend such encounter never happened. I was feeling vulnerable and lonely, and you...”

“You’re right. Let’s leave this all behind”, the giant grunted and Baekhyun flinched, fighting the unhappy, dull sentiment that propelled him to cry. “It was a stupid mistake.”

Baekhyun stayed back a few moments, empty stare fixed on the asphalt, wondering why the thought of his ex-husband leaving him with such cruelty depressed him so much.

* * *

“... So, Luhan-hyung made your father take me home. Chanyeol was quite perplexed, which was totally comprehensible considering how we were nothing but strangers. He ended complying anyways... That’s pretty much how our first meeting went.”

Both girls giggled, and their sweet, happy sounds were divine music for Baekhyun’s mundane ears. After Sooyoung’s visit, Chanyeol and him had returned to their evasive, reserved behavior towards each other. Chanyeol’s friends and relatives had been taking turns to come during the assigned hours for visitors, mostly playing with the girls to distract them from their pair of parents who could not fall back to their easy interplay.

Their moods could not be entirely damped, though, since good news kept coming. The medical staff was awestruck by the twins’ mental progress. They had had normal lapses of confusion and episodes of partial delirum over the course of the last two days, but they gradually returned to their lucid faculties after suitable assistance. Baekhyun could not understand it, and the conspicuous intrigue showed by doctors and nurses frazzled him. He had asked his girls if they felt anything peculiar while being unconcious, because he had read around thousand articles about coma patients waking up again and relating meta-like realities, and they seriously told him the wonderful, abstract experiences they had encountered. To put it simply, they narrated him extraordinary scenarios and introspect situations that seemed taken out of a great fantasy novel, one that took Baekhyun’s breath away and whipped his sensitive skin with brute shivers. They described their long slumber as if they had been together all the time, even while they were on the other side, as both of them called it, looking for a way back.

In any case, the prognosis concerning their health was excellent. That could be translated that the twins were regaining their cerebral health and cognitive stability quicker than expected, which also meant their full personalities were to be acclimated soon—though, the doctor had warned him they could be completely different from before. To Baekhyun and Chanyeol, it was obvious they had changed at some subjective degree, because now they glowed with a strange beauty, still preserving the most important fragments of their idiosyncrasies.

“Tell us about your first date, papa”, Joohyun tried with a timid, candid smile. “Was appa as handsome as now?”

They had exhausted the first two days by getting to know each other. Favorite pastimes, foods, movies, books and music were shared, as well as priceless stories about Baekhyun’s mediocre shewing skills and how Dahyun’s uniforms had suffered because of it, or funny episodes related to Chanyeol’s crazy fascination with pictures and scrapbooks, and how Joohyun possessed twenty different examples of his improving handiwork. They did a deliberate effort to not leave anything out of the hook: close friends, classmates, teachers, uncles, grandparents and greatgrandparents were mentioned and throughly chewed over, between loud laughter and pondering silences.

That day, after their early check-up and exams, the girls had started to wonder about their parents’ past relationship, and Baekhyun, whom Chanyeol had left by himself while his mother and him went to get sushi, had tried to grapple with them through the best way he thought: by seemingly following the flow.

Baekhyun snorted. “Nop, he was such a dork, with his big glasses and poodle-like hair...”He recalled and there was a brief fondness making his eyes glow, bringing great happiness to the girls. “Well, your appa and I went to a funfair... But things didn’t go as smooth as we had expected. First of all, Sehun had to drive us there because your appa’s car failed us in the middle of the road... it was humiliating, to say the least”, a hint of amusement tickled the corners of his straightened lips, and both girls threw hopeful glances to each other when they realized their father was resisting a grin. “Sehun didn’t want to leave once we arrived to the park, so I called Luhan-hyung, who was my roommate back then, because I thought he could make him some company. That wasn’t a good idea, either. We spent the rest of our afternoon trying to put up with their wrangles.”

“Papa, were you responsible for uncle Lu and uncle Hun getting together?” Joohyun gasped.

The small man laughed. “Not exactly, baby girl. I mean, I introduced them, but Luhan-hyung had a loving girlfriend at that time... And, even when Sehun liked Luhan-hyung right away, hyung couldn’t stand him. He said he was too childish and annoying. His indifference never discouraged Sehun, though, and he kept telling us they would end up madly in love. At some point, your appa and I made a bet about their relationship. Look at them now: Sehun was right, and your appa owed me a generous sum of money.”

The girls stayed in a pensive silence for a few heartbeats after his joke, the air suddenly shifted and foreshadowed an immediate bad happening.

“What about you, papa?” Dahyun was the one who spoke up, with her chin high and her pupils burning up.

Baekhyun’s forehead felt sweaty under his fringe, but he ignored the disgusting sensation of transpiration.

“What do you mean, baby girl?”

Joohyun’s eyes were clouded by nostalgia when she took the word. “You and appa... why aren’t you together...?”

“Why aren’t you madly in love... like uncle Lu and uncle Sehun?” Dahyun finished with a straight voice. “Appa’s amazing... so why?”

Baekhyun withdrew to the window, feeling too powerless and dejected. He had foretold the consequences of their perilous curiosity. He knew the nature of their questions would lead them to this pivotal moment. Still, he had convinced himself that he was prepared to conciliate their pesky doubts with a prudent justification and a wise, analytical position.

He could not have been more wrong.

“It’s complicated, love. We weren’t happy together. We had many differences...” Baekhyun winced at his weak tone.

“Nee-san and I have our differences, too, but we love each other... right?” Dahyun nodded with fervor, and Baekhyun would have warmly smiled if he had not been their subject of mental torture. “Why did you divorce, papa?” The twin of longer hair insisted, and her shoulders trembled when Baekhyun avoided her devastated stare. “Why did you leave...? Why aren’t we all together?”

“As a family”, Dahyun reiterated, which earned a whimper from her sister and a strangled noise from his nervous progenitor. “Papa? Papa...”

“That’s enough, girls”, Chanyeol’s rough, disgruntled voice ordered as he closed the door. One look at his set of unalterable, somber features, and Baekhyun correctly guessed he had overheard a relevant part of the conversation. “That’s an adults’ matter. You shouldn’t be concerned by it.”

Joohyun seemed taken aback by the gravity pulling her father’s pleasant voice, which prompted her to lower her gaze.

“Appa...” Dahyun muttered, studying the crestfallen semblance of her withering sister.

Baekhyun noticed how Dahyun’s eyes became defiant when she studied Chanyeol’s tall frame. The giant was busy arranging their take-out over the small table, oblivious to the upset twin looking at him, and Baekhyun foretold things were about to go downhill.

“Appa... why... why did you tell Jojo that papa was dead? That... that wasn’t fair, you know?” The giant paused at the angry tone while the smaller’s breath hitched; their daugther’s uncanny courage rendered both parents speechless. “It’s okay that papa told me you weren’t good, because you are alive and still have a chance to be a better person. I hoped you would love me back one day, because I knew papa wouldn’t love someone bad... I believed you have a good heart. But appa... it’s like you took every chance of papa becoming good for Joohyun. That was mean and I... I... Why did you do it? Were you angry because we left? Do you hate papa? Do you... hate me?”

The heart-rate on the monitors became unsteady.

“Dahyun, I...” Chanyeol smiled to her, his round eyes shining with the same hurt as hers. “Princess, I love you... I love you more than you could ever know. You and Joohyun are my everything, my entire universe. Please, don’t ever doubt that. I could neve ever hate you. Nothing that happened had ever been your fault, my princess.”

Dahyun’s tears fell like rain-drops over her gown. Chanyeol was fast, leaning over and wipping her eyelids, but she could not cease the confusing frustration.

“What about papa?” Joohyun mumbled.

Baekhyun finally regained some of his senses that had been reduced to white, useless things by the shock; he still perceived a buzz inside his ears, but managed to withstand it as he looked at his daughters.

Joohyun gulped as Chanyeol twisted his neck to listen to her, “do you hate... papa?”

Baekhyun shook his head, wearing a tender, a bit troubled smile. “Baby girl—”

“I don’t, princess”, Chanyeol honestly asserted, and Baekhyun recoiled. “Even if your papa and I aren’t together anymore, I respect him and want him to be well. We separated because our love wasn’t as strong as before, and it was deeply hurting us. You need time and space to heal, like you both need right now, so we gave each other that.”

The twins looked utterly miserable then. The admission was stated with the decisive force of an attestation, and knowing about their miscarried love hurt them as nothing had before. Nothing but emotional havoc was caused by it.

“Papa, do you hate appa? Is that why you argue and yell at each other?” Joohyun pressed on as her voice cracked, looking at a morose Baekhyun. The same do you hate me was implied there, as well as their nasty fight, and it inwardly killed Chanyeol and Baekhyun.

Baekhyun thought he would collapse of exhaustion at any moment.

“I thought keeping our distance would be for the best”, the smaller admitted to the pair of disheartened girls, and his confession made Chanyeol shut his eyes. “It’s not like we ever stopped loving any of you—that’s impossible—, but our pain scared us a little too much... I don’t hate your appa, baby girl, but I was extremely mad at him. I didn’t even want to see him on photos... but that doesn’t mean my love for you was ever affected because you were with him; you’re my baby girl, after all, and I will always love you, no matter what... I think you’ll understand it better when you’re older”, he added when he noted the obvious conflict tainting their expressions.

“Perhaps we aren’t in love as we once were, but I can tell you that your papa and I have learned to move on...” Chanyeol said, trying to appease them. “We love you two, and that’s enough for us to be a family.”

“For now, all you need to know is that we’re sorry. We were wrong... We promise you that we’ll do better from now on”, Baekhyun said in a soft volume. “Do you forgive us for making you both sad?”

Joohyun quickly nodded and received a careful, meaningful hug from Chanyeol before Baekhyun joined them, and the three of them shot a pleading look towards Dahyun, who hardly streched her good arm to be engulfed by her parents’ heartfelt embrace.

That night, Chanyeol and Baekhyun were awake until dawn.

* * *

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something, Chanyeol”, the smaller man said as they walked back to the girls’ room.

The past sixty minutes had gone while Dr. Kim and they discussed the physical therapy the girls were meant to endure for the next months after they returned home. Visiting hours had ended a couple of hours before, so their girls were already sleeping. Only Chanyeol and Baekhyun could stay for the night, as they were their support persons.

“Joohyun doesn’t like Sooyoung... she said she hurt you badly”, he was blunt and concise; his sharp eyes closely watching the movements of his companion. “Why is that?”

Baekhyun wished he could contain his curiosity, but it seemed he was not able to do so.

Chanyeol stopped in front of a vending machine, and he spent almost a minute pondering what to buy. In reality, though, he was considering the weight of the smaller’s question.

He took a few coins from his pocket, and slowly inserted each one of them. Baekhyun used every grain of his patience then. “We dated for almost two years, and I even considered asking her to by my wife. However, she... had been sleeping with Kyungsoo’s co-worker for most part of it.’”

“Auch...” Baekhyun muttered before Chanyeol offered him a soda. The smaller man took it, trying to conceal his distress under a small, trembling smile. “I’m sorry to hear that, Chanyeol...”

“Jongin saw her once with the man while he was out with Kyungsoo. She was kissing another man in the middle of a bar”, he explained, and Baekhyun felt his blood was boil. “That was almost four years ago. We’ve been trying to build our relationship back, but it’s not worked out.”

“If there is no love, it’s never going to work...” Baekhyun absently claimed, gripping his soda tighter. “She wouldn’t have done that if she was truly in love with you, Chanyeol. You... you deserve much better.”

They hesitated to say more, avoiding making eye-contact. The topic was about to land on a delicate, forbidden ground.

Baekhyun tried to laugh. “I mean—”

“Being in love isn’t always a condition for a relationship to work out, is it?” The smaller blinked in confusion, because Chanyeol’s pessimist words sounded nothing like him, and it took all his might to not break. “We used to love each other and our marriage didn’t last. I understand now that many factors had their part on our failure, but... it makes me rethink everything. What is love, anyway?”

_It’s many things. It’s affection, worry, care and need. It’s a mental phenomenon that drives you out of your shell and makes you want to be better. It’s the reason behind silent sacrifices and selfless details, behind a strange sense of inconditionality regarding someone’s happiness or wellbeing. It’s devotion, pain, freedom and many things more. Love is... love._

“I... I don’t really know”, Baekhyun shrugged, and they resumed their walk in silence. However, when they neared the room, a hefty responsibility submerged Baekhyun in a profound misery, and quick words escaped his mouth before he could recompose himself. “You shouldn’t go back to a person who didn’t appreciate you...” Baekhyun brushed some tears out of his eyes when he was certain Chanyeol’s watch was not on him. “You deserve a partner who regards you with nothing but devotion and compromise. Don’t settle for someone who won’t take you seriously... That’s not fair.”

Chanyeol’s legs paused, but the smaller kept walking, not looking back.

The giant balled his fists. “Baek...”


	6. Part VI

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry it took this long. I'm so, so, so sorry...  
> Take you so much for your nice comments. There is one chapter left (perhaps two, because I don't want it to be too long).   
> Hope you enjoy this!

Things were _not_ going according the plan.

“I’m sterile”, Baekhyun insisted, with both hands curled over his thighs as the man in front of him closely reviewed his lab tests. “Almost ten years ago, I was told I’d never be able to conceive again. This is _not_ possible.”

“I’m sure your doctor must have explained to you that it was a very low chance, but the probability was still there”, the elder said, writing down a few notes and handing Baekhyun a recipe, where he had listed mostly vitamins and other supplements for daily intake. “Your blood numbers are quite outstanding. You seem in a pretty good shape to me... But, since you’ve warned me about your previous pregnancy complications, it’d be better to keep a close eye on you. It doesn’t seem like high-risk case yet, but we could never be sure enough. Our next appointment will be in seven days. Okay?”

“I can’t be pregnant, doc...” He whispered, clutching the paper tightly inside his fit. The doctor lowered his glasses until they touched the tip of his nose, giving him a meaningful look as Baekhyun’s eyes watered. “I mean, I know I said I’d keep them if I were expecting... but... doctor...”

“Are you having second thoughts?” The doctor sighed, already reaching for the medical prescription he had passed over; the smaller man moved his hand, avoiding the gesture. “If you have no desire to keep going, speak now, Baekhyun. It’s up to you.”

The smaller grabbed his wallet and bag, breathing hard through his mouth, and rushed to the door. “I’ll schedule my next appointment with your assistant later on, doctor. Thank you so much. I’ll stay in contact to inform you if something doesn’t seem right with my baby.”

“Take care, Baek—”

And the door was shut close.

Baekhyun ran in a bloody haste to the subway entrance, clumsily dialing Heechul’s number on his journey. He moved aside and jumped out of little kids’ and pregnant women’s way like he had seen demons on their surprised faces. He stood in front of the stairs of the T. Metro as people bolted inside and out the long tunnel, sweating bullets and restraining himself from sobbing in a public scene.

“ _Hey, Baek. How was your date?_ ” Heechul greeted him from the other side of the line, the mischievous tone in his voice sending a sharp shudder over his spine. “ _If you’re calling me this early, it’s safe to assume you didn’t find the guy very appealing. Told you that Takeru was not your type._ ”

“I threw up while we were eating”, Baekhyun blurted out as he hurried to the line he always took to reach home. People were staring at him as he walked as fast as it could be considered civil, but he hardly minded their curiousity. He could not keep lying to himself. “Did I tell you I’ve been feeling ill? It started a month ago, more or less...”

“ _Uh? Dahyun told me you haven’t been behaving like yourself lately, but I thought it had something to do with the fact that you now have to talk with Chanyeol everyday, and that is stressing you out... Didn’t imagine it would lead you to screw your date, though. Wanna talk about it? I can drop by for a late second-dinner._ ”

Heechul was partly correct. Ever since the day they had been discharged from the hospital five weeks ago, Dahyun and Johyun called each other, _every single day_ , without fail. They mostly recurred to Skype video-calls to share their experiences regarding the post-trauma theraphy and returning-to-school anecdotes, so both parents could watch over their daughters and supervise whatever they were discussing from a respectful range of vision and hearing. This was a method to prevent another stunt they had pulled off before, when they had tried to change roles when they were leaving the airport. Unfortunately for them, Joohyun’s hair bun had fallen down before she could follow Baekhyun into the security line, revealing her much longer mane and earning them a hot earful before they could perform their plan. 

While it was a relief their girls were still treating each other as if the distance separating them was not a real inconvinience, or like they had not been practically strangers before that eventful summer camp, Baekhyun could not stand seeing Chanyeol’s face on that screen during their quotidian, progressively-dreaded, long-drawn-out conversations. He tried to focus on his beloved twins’ interactions, admiring their funny jokes, bright rectangular smiles and overwhelming happiness, but, when Dahyun called her beloved appa over to tell him something, he would feel like ripping his hair out and hurling all their cutlery around. 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun had been having arguments over reuniting their daughters in a close future, and could not agree on a place and a date—they could not even hold a five-minutes-long conversation without one of them breaking another fight for something as petty as letting Joohyun go out without a scarf during the first days of Fall, or forgetting to get new pair of sporty shoes for the upcoming try-outs that were to take place in Dahyun’s school. It was a nightmare to deal with Chanyeol’s stubborness alongside his own, to have his suggestions dismissed continously, to hear him reprimand him for his selfishness and whatnot.

He was simply desperate, and could not hold the burden by himself any longer.

“Heechul, I’m pregnant.”

Silence.

Then, he heard a subtle hiss, a pot crashing down and a curse. “ _Come again?_ ”

“I’m pregnant”, Baekhyun exhaled, stepping backwards and finding support against a light pole. He checked his watch and confirmed that Dahyun was probably at home, and he was not ready to confess this monumental thing to her. “I’m pregnant with Chanyeol’s child. _Again_.”

Some people asked him if he was doing alright, and he waved a hand around with a polite grin to shoo them.

“ _Fuck it, Baekhyun. How did this happen?_ ” The smaller wetted his lips before answering, but his friend cut him off before he could even try to justify himself. _“I don’t need to know the details, though. What the hell are you planning to do? Are you having it?_ ”

Baekhyun scowled, raising a protective hand over his flat stomach. There were some drops over his eyelids, and his cheeks were coloured in an embarrassed-red, but he still held a firm gaze over the horizon filled with people. “‘It’ is a person in potentia, Heechul, not an object. And yes, I’m having them... They are around eight weeks old.”

“ _Unbelievable! You were supposed to stay barren for a while, weren’t you? Shit, I can’t..._ ” Heechul inhaled loudly, in an attempt to gather his thoughts and stop rambling about it, wanting to have a more precise approach instead. “ _Will you tell Chanyeol?_ ”

He hiccuped, looking at the time again. 

“I’ll talk to you later, Heechul. Dahyun’s waiting. Bye”, he hung up. The noises around him became a buzz as he goggled at his cellphone background. It was the last picture his daughters took together, just before Baekhyun and Dahyun crossed the departure gates. 

They were attired in a delightful set of matching shirts that Sehun had gotten as a present for them. Dahyun’s was a vibrant pink and had Tweedle-dum written on it, while Joohyun’s was baby blue and showed Tweedle-dee. Dahyun was doing a silly face while Joohyun timidly smiled at the camara.

They both were his first concern, his main priority.

“I have to buy a cake... Yes, a cake...”

* * *

“Princess, why aren’t you eating? Don’t you like the food?” Chanyeol, placing his chopsticks over the rim of his bowl, asked. He studied his daughter’s downcast expression, fighting the ugly frustration that brought seeing her so depressed, all droppy eyes and pouty lips. 

Joohyun was in her pretty nightgown already, looking down at the serving of the albop his father had prepared for dinner that evening. She mixed the vegetables and rice in a brooding, almost-mystified trance, delaying giving her father a honest answer.

Suddenly, she hastily pressed the chopsticks against the tablemat and puffed her chest out, like she was overly vexed.

“Papa and Dada haven’t called yet. Are you sure papa haven’t sent a message yet? It’s past seven, they should be at home by now, right?” She wondered again, and Chaneyol held back a rude groan as she deflated before him; he was not mad at his daughter for worrying and being emotional over them, but he was getting angrier with Baekhyun for putting her under such distress. He wanted to see Dahyun as well, confirm she was doing as excellent with her recovery process and classes, but the smaller man was not responding to any of his texts.

Chanyeol picked some mushrooms and carrots with a little portion of rice and chewed slowly, thinking what was the best thing to say to appease his nervous daughter. In a blink of an eye, his plate was empty and practically clean, and he was tempted to prepare a quick dessert for them to satiate the anxious hunger he was starting to feel. But, as much as the craving forced him to surrender, he was so exhausted he decided against it.

Fruit would do it.

“Love, just be patient. I’m sure there is a reason for their sudden absense... they’ll reach to us once they’re free. I’m positive of that”, he said at last, sipping his glass of water before pointing to Joohyun’s untouched dish with a critical gaze. “Eat, Joohyun-ah, or else I won’t allow you to speak more than thirty minutes with them the next time they call.”

Joohyun’s eyes widened in an innocent, kind-of-adorable agony as she bit her lips and analyzed the situation. Then, after a short consideration, she nodded to herself started to devour her food. She alternated between swallowig a considerable part of her serving and quaffing down her glass of water, almost as if she was convinced that her papa and sister would call after she had finished her dinner. Chanyeol just watched her, aghast and speechless, as she reduced her once filled bowl to nothing but ceramic with a few specks of food in less than five minutes. 

“I’ll prepare you a tea... you’ll have indigestion otherwise, you little rascal”, he muttered, too amused to be bothered by the fact that she just wolfed down her entire dish without a single trace of guilt—it seemed that Dahyun’s impulsive personality was starting to affect her sister in some levels and, even if his mother would find it nefarious, Chanyeol enjoyed it. She beamed, so brilliantly and perfectly that it was simply breath-taking, before hopping out of her chair and taking her plate to the kitchen so she could wash it. 

Chanyeol followed her, trying to recall what kind of herbs he had bought last time they had gone grocery shopping together so he could blend a delicious infusion for her. As he thanked his daughter for starting the cleaning duties after their meal, the phone rang stridently and startled them both into a stunned silence. Joohyun did not stop to think twice; she closed the tap of water, graceously whirled around the kitchen and dashed off before Chanyeol could even react. 

She cleared her throat and patted her rosy cheeks, which were hurting because of her beautiful grand smile, before taking the phone in her hands under Chanyeol’s attentive vigilance.

“Hello, this is the Parks’ residence”, she shyly grinned, twirling a lock in her finger as the person calling spoke. After a couple of anticipating heartbeats, she tilted her head to the left, her dark hair gracefully shaking like a black wave, and frowned slightly, looking quite confused for some reason. 

The giant decided to intervene, not liking the preocuppied expression she was wearing.

“Joohyun, give me the phone”, he demanded, sternly nonetheless gently. 

She softly refused his open palm, pleading him to wait for a moment as she kept listening.

“Nee-chan, I don’t understand... What is wrong with papa?” Joohyun, clearly alarmed and more shaken, sought after her father, who swiftly stole the phone from her weak grip and hugged her lithe form closer. She had her face completely buried against his stomach. 

A ear-splitting, heartbreaking shriek assaulted his attention even before he brought the phone to his earshell. He felt the sudden drop of temperature on his sensitive skin then, and the erratic palpitations did not wait much longer to arrive as he recognized Dahyun’s blabbering. 

Even when he was about to explode, he controlled his voice when he talked. 

“Princess? It’s appa. Talk to me. What’s wrong, my dear?” He asked, caressing his daughter’s hair, whising with a naïve, hopeful belief that Dahyun would sense it through their twin-link and would feel assauged, trully consoled.

“ _Appa!_ ” His girl choked on her split and coughed, trying to heed her father’s soothing words and loving tone as she regained her breath. She yearningly repeated his name a few times, seemingly easing her panic by doing so. “ _Appa, papa is... I heard uncle Heechul and papa talking, and they were saying that... that he’s going to be someone else’s papa._ ”

And she broke down, despair and sadness in her discreet sniffing so tangible it almost destroyed Chanyeol’s level-headed composture as he caught glimpses of it. It would have been a fatal blow if it were not for the implications of Dahyun’s unexpected statement. It froze Chanyeol’s insides, as if he had been struck with a streak of lightning, even paralyzing all his rational thoughts.

“Calm down, my love. What do you mean by that? How is your papa becoming... someone else’s papa?” He tenderly probed, bringing Joohyun closer to his body as he felt her trembling against him. “Is your papa around? I would like to have a word with him.”

“ _He’s speaking with uncle Heechul right now. He doesn’t know I was listening to what they were discussing, so, please appa, don’t rat me out... I just..._ ” the girl said, swallowing hard as if what she was mentioning something unacceptable or just so unfair. “ _Papa’s waiting a baby, appa. But I don’t want another sibling, I’m happy with Joohyun alone... I don’t want a baby ruining everything. We’re good like this! Why should he have another baby? Are we not enough? I hate this... so much..._ ”

Chanyeol barely avoided dropping the phone as Joohyun, who seemed to grasp the significance of some words that her sister had uttered in her emotional crisis, insisted she had gained the privilege of speaking with Dahyun for more than thirty minutes and lifted her thin arm in order to snatch the device. The realization hit Chanyeol like a thousand bricks as he watched his daughter struggling to reach his hand, and the bitter knowledge of Baekhyun waiting a baby, _whose father’s was unkwon to him_ , suffocated and angered him like nothing else had. 

“Appa, I want to speak with Dada! Please, let me... tell her to use Skype”, she shook his father’s long arm with urgency, and he snapped out of his shocked brooding when Joohyun pinched his forearm. “Appa! Are you okay?”

“Dahyun, listen carefully”, he managed to express while signaling Joohyun to fetch the tablet, pausing to see if he got the girl’s undivided attention. It seemed that his weighty, serious timbre had met his purpouse when she abandoned her ranting. “Are you sure that your papa is pregnant? It’s not good to joke with something like that.”

Dahyun winced, and Chanyeol could visualize her shinkring. “ _Yes, appa, I’m one hunderd percent sure._ ”

Joohyun, who had scurried to find the tablet among the cushions over the sofa, dropped the one which she was clutching and stood in her place with a tense posture, gawking at his father like she was seeing an allien. 

“Oh my God”, she gasped, throwing her hands over her petite mouth as her entire face paled. “But... but... I just met papa...”

Chanyeol felt some veins throbbing as Joohyun’s lower lip quivered. 

“Princess, I need you to stay calm. Papa’s not going to replace you—neither of you—with a baby, okay? He’ll love you all the same. Nothing is ever going to overshadow his love for the both of you, not even a new addition to... the family”, he took a second to order his witss as he heard Dahyun shuffling and probably hidding in a closet or something akin, since she secured a door near her. “I’m not exactly happy that you eavesdropped their conversation, Dada, because I’m certain that your papa has the intention of telling you about this matter when the right time comes. So, princess, don’t do that again... And don’t worry, I’ll keep this secret for you until you decide to talk to your papa about it. Just, please, be patient with him from now on. He’s going to be worn-out and sensitive all the time, and he needs you to be strong for him. He needs your help and support more than anything else. Do you understand, Dahyun, Joohyun?” He intentionally gazed at Joohyun as well as he declared everything, hoping she would get that she was as responsible for looking out for their carrier’s wellbeing as Dahyun was at the moment.

“I do, appa”, they both replied with a dazed, puzzled look. Chanyeol shivered at the spontaneous response, still a little lost about the whole ordeal, but nodded to himself with a proud smile.

“That’s my brave girl. My brave girls”, he ignored the knot in the middle of his throat as he heartly laughed, trying to erase their obvious fright. “You should be excited. You’ll be the best big sisters in the entire world.”

* * *

“Dahyun, is everything okay?” Baekhyun, outside his daughter’s room, waited for a response that did not come. He gulped a little, bracing himself to bear with a tantrum he was not entirely sure why it had happened in the first reason.

He entered the colorful room, but, to his utter surprise, he did not find Dahyun there.

He was getting seriously worried. Dahyun had been behaving off the past week, avoiding spending too much time with him and being secretly nice about things she did not really pay attention before (such as taking the initiative to do basic house chores, going to the little shop downstreet to get him anything that he added on their to-buy-list glued over the fridge, or even offering to cook dinner when he arrived late). 

And this, this was a new kind of occurrence. She never left their home without telling him, not even when she was upset about something. He feared his daughter was starting to develop mood swings for stress. She was too young for that... She was too careless, as well. Anything could happen.

He rushed to the kitchen and picked up his cellphone, ready to dial the emergency number, and halted when he noticed the absence of Suho’s harness. She had probably taken him out for a quick walk around the neighborhood. It was cold outside, so he sat down and hoped she had, at least, brought a good coat with her. 

He waited almost half an hour before the main door was pushed open, letting his daughter and their dog inside. Suho barked and shook his tail upon recognizing him, but Baekhyun did not mind him. He was solely focused on his daughter, who had a star-shaped, rainbow-colored balloon tied around her wrist, held a paper bag and Suho’s leash with her right hand, and was struggling to keep a big mandala doll under tucked under her left arm, which had a plastic bag hanging from the crook of her elbow. He was rendered speechless as he studied the whole image. What shocked him the most was, however, the CONGRATS! message on the balloon.

“Dahyun...? What is this?” She seemed startled by his question, like she had not been expecting to see him so soon. She blushed and coughed a little. 

“Uh, papa, what a surprise...” She arranged a lock of hair behind her ear as Baekhyun stood up to help her with everything she was carrying. He did it on autopilot, though, because he could not shake the fear that perhaps Dahyun knew.

He did not want Dahyun to know... He needed to prepare her better.

He needed to prepare himself, as well.

They set everything over the low table, and she became mute as he openly stared at the flashy balloon. Out of the sudden, she gently and so slowly untied it from her wrist, and handed it. Baekhyun received it with shaky fingers, praying that she was not doing what he was suspecting it was.

“Papa, I heard you talking with uncle Heechul the other night,” she began her explanation with a rather shy and apologetic smile, and Baekhyun became ghostly pale, bitting his lips as he eyed the balloon with something akin resentment. Her voice dropped just a few notes as she palyed with her hands, “I know we are expecting a new member on our little family...”

“Dahyun, baby—”, he panicked, knowing how overprotective his daughter could be, and how insecurities could arise because of the news. This was his exact reason to delay telling her, as he had told Heechul; he did not want his daughter to feel any pain, any hurt... Too many events had been happening lately, and she deserved time to properly adjust.

It was so unfair. Life was so unfair.

But, before he could reassure her about his undying love for her and her sister, and things would not take such a harsh change, she went ahead and finished her speech with her natural, breath-taking beam. “And I want you to know that I’m very happy. We’ll be the best family, for sure! Congrats, papa!”

Baekhyn froze, trembling. She nodded twice, rummaging inside the plastic bag. She took out two little pink boxes from the pâtisserie they liked to visit on special occasions, and a beautiful small paper bag in pastel colors.

“What?”

“Look, this is my present for the baby. I spent my all savings buying it, so I hope he or she uses it frequently”, she mischievously said, opening her stunned father’s hands and putting the bag on his sweaty palms. His eyes were blown wide. “Open it, papa!”

He did as he was told. Dahyun had gotten them a simple baby bracelet with a little pearl on it; it did not look cheap per se, but it was not too expensive either—just the just price for a ten-years-old girl, who had been receiving monthly a modest amount of money for years, to afford. She then folded her sleeve upwards and showed him a matching bracelet in her wrist, with the only difference that hers had a D-pendant. 

Baekhyun felt like he could not breathe. 

“Obviously, Jojo has one, too. I sent it over a few days ago... The old sir in the office was very kind and friendly. He said it was very cute present”, Dahyun tried to get another reaction from Baekhyun, but he just observed the pretty present with shining, teary eyes. “Jojo knows about this, papa... she’s sent a present.” 

Baekhyun did not process what she said. He snapped out of his daydream when she pushed the paper bag in front of him, beckoning him over to peep over. He did it, again, without saying anything; he could not find the strenght to speak yet.

He grabbed another present bag, bigger than Dahyun’s but still small enough to fit inside the medium-sized paper bag, and discloused what it store with fingers that would not stay put. He found a short collection of tiny baby booties, all handmade and simply beautiful. They had animal-faces on them: a pair of bunnies, a pair of jiraffes, a pair of elephants, a pair of bears, a pair of ducks and a pair of lions. There a note at the bottom, glued to a USB flash.

_Hello, papa! How are you? I pray that you are fine and happy. I’m sorry if my present seems a little rushed, but I promise to do the next ones on time and with more dedication. Dahyun onee-chan just gave me a week to finish the few ones I sent. I hope you like them a lot, and that our little brother or sister likes them just as much. I picked my favorite compositions for the baby because I read that classic music helps them in their development. Enjoy them, papa._   
_I love you, to the moon and back. Take care. I hope we’ll see each other soon._   
_Joohyunnie._

Baekhyun did not realize he was sobbing until Dahyun clung to his neck, whispering soothing things to calm him down. His daughters had gone all the way to surprise him like this, and there he was, weeping and crying like a little kid.

But he was so elated, so utterly happy.

“Thank you so, so, so much”, he kissed her crown, her cheeks and her nose, bringing her closer to his chest. “You two are my whole world. I love you guys more than anything in the entire universe. Thank you, my girls. I love you.”

“Our sibling is going to be very loved, right, papa?” Dahyun said, hugging Baekhyun tightly. He nodded, showering her with more kisses. “I hope they like us.”

“She or he will adore you guys, don’t doubt it”, he whispered, bringing a hand up to his belly.

“Ah! There’s still one present left!” She announced and he, with lifted spirits and ginger hands, brought a cardboad box sealed with tape. Dahyun happily sat between his legs as opened it, and the intrigue caused by her shining eyes making his heart beat in anticipation.

That was until he saw the contents.

There was a thoughful arrangement of items inside it: three different types of fluffy slippers and gorgeous slipper socks, perfect for swollen feet; a set of stretch-mark-preventing creams, calming lotions and bath powerds from his favorite Korean store; a cute bowl with a _Eating for two_ inscription, and the very same scrapbook he had filled with the experiences of his first pregnancy. 

The scrapbook that Baekhyun had gifted Chanyeol years ago.

_I kept it in a safe and clean place, so it is good as new. There is still some space left for you to record every stage of your second pregnancy. I remember you saying that I should give you this back if I ever got you pregnant again, because you would want to have all your children’s first photos in the same book._   
_So, I’m giving it back, even if the child is not mine._   
_Take care, Baek._   
_-Chanyeol._

Baekhyun covered his face, rage and indignation sending shivers along his body. 

“You... you are so dumb...”


	7. Part VII

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more to go! I'm glad you like this fic, and I'm so grateful for your support.  
> Your feedback and comments are welcomed, and appreciated.

Chanyeol was bemused. As he inspected Joohyun’s homework, pausing over each math problem to see if she had followed her unyielding teacher’s guidelines while resolving it, he gradually lost interest and got distracted by thinking about the little situation involving Baekhyun, and a certain unborn child.

Part of himself was honestly happy for the smaller man. When they had learned Baekhyun would not be able to give birth to more kids all those years ago, Baekhyun had been downright devastated. The news had wrecked his aspirations of a big family, one that would celebrate extravagant birthday dinners and noisy movies nights. Even though he never expressed it out loud, Chanyeol knew that his ex-husband had convinced himself that being thwarted from fulfilling his role as a carrier rendered him useless. He used to cry for hours whenever Chanyeol kissed him and told him he should not feel any less atractive, less worthy. He would have fallen into critical depression if their daughters had not been there to occupy him and heal him, or if Chanyeol had not been intuitive enough to detect and cope with the sudden shifts in his mood.

However, a great part of himself felt... quite _dull_ , almost as if he were empty inside, when he stopped to consider it throughout. He was not exactly numb, but there was this wide void in the middle of his mind that kept devouring his ratiotination, leaving him uncapable of overcoming his stupefied condition and properly facing the fact that Baekhyun was pregnant. He did not fear for the other, because he held no doubt that Baekhyun could go through any kind of hardship and come out victorious, stronger and more tenacious than before—he was a wonderful man like that. Yet, the idea of his ex-husband undergoing once again the physical torments that his first pregnancy had triggered... it made Chanyeol wary, exhausted even. Taking care of him was not easy, not when Baekhyun would hardly recognize he needed help to begin with. It was not a task just anyone could perform.

“Appa”, Joohyun trotted to his side, peeping over the curve of his shoulder to watch him mark  her excercises with a pencil.

He kissed the tip of her nose before she could say anything else, and invited her to lay down next to him, lifting the warm duvet to open a space wide enough to fit her small frame. She grinned and wordlessly complied, settling with cuddling as her father continued checking her homework.

After a pause, Joohyun spoke up.

“Tomorrow is the benefit concert”, she stated with a shy smile, her dreamy tone providing a sweet treat for his hearing, and Chanyeol hummed, contented to have a private moment with his daughter after all the drama they had been subjected to. He brushed her long hair as she seemed to gather her wits to voice whatever she had in mind. “I know we’re supposed to eat lunch with grandma after it’s finished, but I was wondering if we could come back home first and talk with papa and Dahyun before meeting her. You promised me you would record it and send it to them, so... I really want to hear their opinion.”

“Joohyun, I can send it later when we’re not busy, love... It would be less of a hassle”, he replied with a gentle, comforting inflection, swiftly moving his nails over her scalp to appease her. Her pretty eyelashes fluttered, and a sleepy fog covered her bright irises. “Your grandma’s missed you a lot, princess... She’s barely seen you since we returned. I don’t think she’s going to be happy about this change of plans.”

“But, by the time we come back from spending time with her, papa and onee-chan will have already left to visit onee-chan’s friend in Nagano... They said they would be out of reach for the next few days...”, she reminded him in a softer plea, taking one of his hands and absentmindedly playing with his long fingers. “Please, appa... I want our little sibling to hear me playing as soon as possible. I’m doing it for them, and for papa... so, _please_. We won’t be able to talk to them for days... This way, at least they would have something to remember us while we’re apart.”

Chanyeol kept caressing her mane in silence, thinking about it. At the end, he nodded to himself, and kissed her forehead with nothing but adoration and understanding.

“I’ll say something to grandma, but let’s keep this a secret between us, alright? You know she’s still angry with your papa.”

Joohyun squealed, squeezing the hand in her grasp and planting a grateful smooch on his cheek.

“Thank you, papa! You’re the best... I love you, very much”, and then she flaunted her dazzling square smile, which squinted her eyes in an adorable way, exactly like Baekhyun’s.

“I love you, too, my princess...” He gulped when an unbidden image of the smaller man assaulted his memory, attacking the stable rhythm of his calming heartbeats. He returned her hug with much vehemency, drowned by a strange sense of melancholy as his daughter mellowly gigged against his collarbones.

When Joohyun fell asleep later, Chanyeol stood up and went to the kitchen, his whole body shaking when everything became clearer for him.

* * *

Since he caught Dahyun snoring slightly, Baekhyun payed her a short visit on his journey to their bathroom. He rearranged her contortionistic position and covered her exposed body with another blanket, leaving a loving kiss over her bare forehead before exiting her bedroom. Once inside the washroom, he patted his bloated-looking belly while his toothbrush hanged from his mouth, studying the neat duplicate the medium-sized mirror supplied, wondering how this pregnancy progress. Would he get the same taxing symptoms as before, or would they strike with more intensity because of his age and inauspicious situation?

It did scare him that he was practically alone this time. His ex-husband had spent almost every second of the day with him when he was carrying Dahyun and Joohyun, keeping a track on his diet and vitamin intake, and getting anything needed before he could stress about it. Even if he did not like to admit it, Chanyeol had been his anchor during those hard times, and he could not be more grateful for his sharp mindfulness and unconditional care. Even so, Baekhyun was not discouraged by the circumstances. It made him very optimistic and excited that his daughters supported him now, and being a single parent meant he had much more liberties, or so he thought.

He finished his nightly beauty ritual and retired to his room, siting over the edge of his low-leveled bed, taking the scrapbook he had left on the shelf of his bed-headboard. There were a few copies of the first ultrasound, which he had gotten that morning during his weekly check-up. Baekhyun fought to ignore the oppresive guilt that settled inside his chest, but the load was far too heavy for his conscience to accept it. As he airily rubbed the black-and-white photos, he knew he should have already revealed this milestone to the other parent.

The past is in the past. 

He opened the scrapbook to add them to the collection, set on avoiding dwelling too much upon it. As he went through his old work, he allowed a sad smiled out, remembering how thrilled Dahyun had been when he had showed her the first captures of his sister and her inside his body, and the weekly photos of his growing stomach when he bore them. She personally cherished the pictures Baekhyun had chosen to include featuring his ex-husband, most of them with Chanyeol tenderly kissing his fringe or eyelids as his hands were occupied stroking his belly.

Baekhyun sighed, resigned at last. 

Thinking about Chanyeol was simply problematic, because it gave him whole share of mixed feelings and he was not sure how he was supposed to deal with it. They had not spoken since he received the presents last week. Their daughters called each other often and met their virtual appointments, but their parents avoided interacting by any cost. Baekhyun was truly touched by his gifts—most of them were things he had considered essential during his first pregnancy—, but he was just as peeved by his obliviouness, and so entirely frustrated with his gentlemanly behavior. In fact, it had become a psychosomatic matter; he would feel nauseas whenever he caught the giant’s deep voice eagerly greeting Dahyun, love dripping from his pleasant voice.

Chanyeol did not have any right to care about him, to manifest any type of concern regarding his wellbeing. He could not just toy with Baekhyun and disturb his sense of morality, making him feel like he should admit he was carrying Chanyeol’s child. He could not just make him wish the giant would shower their creation with all the affection they deserved if he did so, to yearn it actualy happened. Chanyeol, with all his quirks and imperfections, was an amazing, devoted dad. He could not just give Baekhyun such false hopes. Not again.

He decided it was time to sleep when the clock displayed twenty past eleven. He had been feeling quite restless the past few nights, since his back started hurting every time he tried to lay down. He was putting all expectations on the body pillow for pregnant people he had just acquired, which had been Heechul’s suggestion.

As he got comfortable on it and felt like it would be a peaceful night at last, his cellphone rang over his head. Baekhyun cursed _bloodyhell_ and jerked it out of its charger, without even looking at the ID caller as the irritation took the best of him.

“What?” He grunted. He had reasons to be angry: he was pregnant, deprived of some good-sleep for days in a row, and it was past eleven at night.

“ _Shit, I’m sorry for the hour... I thought it was barely nine. Did I wake you up?_ ”, Chanyeol’s raspy voice apologized at the other end of the line, and Baekhyun, beyond bewildered, took the cellphone away from his ear to check if his fatigue and crazy hormones were finally causing him allucinations.

To his utter surprise, it was indeed Chanyeol calling him.

“I was just about to fall asleep”, the smaller man replied, not knowing what else to add, or if it was proper to even say anything more that would not provoke a quarrel.

They remained in an astonished silence for a long, endless instant. Baekhyun was waiting for Chanyeol to announce the motive behind his unexpected call, but the only thing he got was a slow-tempo, soothing breathing against his ear. He spared him a few seconds of doubt before he lost all notion of civil kindness.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and lashed out every bit of accumulated frustration he had, “so? Did you dial my number by mindless accident, or were you intending to make me lose my sleeping hours by forcing me to listen to you breathing?”

“ _Who is it?_ ” Chanyeol asked in return, not even missing a beat. He nonchalantly ignored Baekhyun’s sarcastic attack, which infuriated the smaller man.

He straightened his tense back, careful of the headboard, raising both eyebrows at the strange, seemingly stupid question.

“Well, it’s Baekhyun, you idiot... Were you expecting someone else?” He muttered through gritted teeth, somewhat hurt by the other’s shamelessness. He surely hated this over-sensitive side of himself that made him exceedingly distressed about anything concerning Chanyeol. “I’m sorry if I disappointed you. In my defense, you should have re-checked the name before pressing the green button. Good luck next time.”

“ _No, Baekhyun, I know it’s you_ ”, the taller blurted out before he could proceed to cut the line, sounding so overwhelmed and desperate, which left Baekhyun more confused. Then, Chanyeol ranted like a madman, as if his conduct was not creepy enough. “ _I... I’m sorry if I’m acting out of place, or if I’m bothering you. I did try to keep my nose out of your business—God knows how hard I’ve refrained myself from calling you—but I can’t be at ease if I don’t get an answer. This is driving me insane, Baek... I want to know... I want to know who your baby’s father is._ ”

Baekhyun paled.

“What?”

“ _Baek, please... Is he good to you? Is he treating you well?_ ” Chanyeol probed, apparently worried, like it was something mentally torturing him; the smaller supressed a gasp and clenched his fists. Then, angry tears dampened his cheeks. “ _Is he... is taking resposibility for your baby?_ ”

He replayed that damned night when things went down, putting together all the flashbacks he had recovered. The ardent kisses, the brazen touches, the released longing... Chanyeol’s poignant gaze, his zelaous whispers and the burning words...

Baekhyun was so sick of it.

“Why?” He croaked, his spiteful voice sending goosebumps over his own skin; he heard the other inhaling deeply, like he was restraining a pitiful share of tears (which he was doing). It was unbelievable. “Why does it matter to you, uh? It’s not something you should care about... Just mind your own problems, and let me deal with mine.”

There was a thundering noise on the other side, like something crashing against a hard surface, without breaking.

“ _So, he is a problem. Is he rejecting you or something?_ ” The giant insisted, and the resonance of his words was simply relentless. It pushed the smaller man to bite his lower lip until it started bleeding, stifling any betraying noise of shock. Chanyeol was angry, but Baekhyun could not comprehend why—if anything, it outraged him his unreasonbale meddling. “ _Fuck, who is he? I’m going to kill that nitwitted bastard._ ”

The smaller stood up, forgetting for a moment they were refering to Chanyeol.

“Pardon me? Who are you, and why do you suddenly care about what transpires in my life? You have no reason to do anything about it. If he’s a problem or not, it’s my issue to resolve, and it doesn’t involve you in any way. Stay out of my affairs.”

“ _I do have a reason to care about it, and it does involve me somehow—indirectly. You’re not a young man anymore, Baekhyun. Your health could be at risk because of this pregnancy. If something bad happens to you, what will happen to our daughters? They’ll be just... completely crushed. Don’t you understand?_ ”

Honestly, he did not. He could not even begin to follow Chanyeol’s logic—this was not a discussion to have at this hour, out of the sudden like this. Moreover, for some unknown reason, hearing his ex-husband using the daughters-card to prove his point served to vex him more. It was nothing he had not previously acknowledged or had forced himself to confront, and he had already framed his posture. From his viewpoint, it was Chanyeol who had yet to come to terms with the whole situation.

Baekhyun thought it was a wry joke that Chanyeol was handling the news this badly, even before knowing he was the father. It was just his impeccable luck. And  though that notion should have spiked another hot argument, he was too tired to keep up with all that, or to fret over its implications. He did not want to alert Dahyun about their ridiculous fight, either. So he decided to let Chanyeol hear what he desired.

(And he would forget to mention the most important thing, for now).

“Look, Chanyeol, if anything ever happens to me, my daughters will still have people to look after them—I’m not the only person who deeply love about them, you know. I’m positive they’ll be fine... Joohyun is under your guardianship, and Dahyun can live with Heechul here in Japan, or she can go back to Korea to stay with you guys”, he reassured him in the nicest way possible, swallowing his annoyance back and reminding himself to be fair with his thoughts. “So, rest assured, your daughters won’t lack any attention if I die... Besides, it’s not like I’ve never been pregnant before. I think I have at least an idea of what to expect. Give me some credit, please.”

There was a drawn-out, awkward silence after his declaration. It seemed they could only either yell at each other or stay quiet, with no in-between. After a whole minute, Baekhyun concluded the taller had finished the call without warning him, and was ready to return his cellphone to its former  place just in time to catch Chanyeol’s husky voice bringing the conversation back to life.

“ _I know I’m acting like a pain in the ass, okay? I’m perfectly aware of it. But I can’t seem to find a proper way to express this... I..._ ”

There was something meaningful accompanying his speech, a substancial weight of sorts, that brutally rocked Baekhyun from his vulnerable core and urged him to listen. It unnerved him. It weakened him like nothing else had in a long time.

“ _We have had our differences, Baekhyun, and that’s beyond obvious at this point, but... I thought we had achieved some truce back in Sokcho, bonding over our daughters_ ”, the smaller felt his heart throbbing and quivering between his dying lungs, and it hurt to move, to think, to even breathe. “ _I’m not approaching this topic only because I want to protect our daughters’ happiness and tranquility. That’s a good part of the reason, but... it’s not all. If it were the case, do you think I’d have made a call as disastrous as this? I’m smarter than that..._ ” Baekhyun shook his head, not brave enought to comment anything as Chanyeol poured this on him; it was too much to grapple with. “ _I do care about you... even when I was blinded by resentment and pain, I still wished you and our daughter were doing fine. I do want you to be fine, Baekhyun, because you deserve it after everything you’ve endured for others. So, take my concern as coming from a friend: I’m mad at the guy who got you pregnant for not doing things right for you. Dahyun tells me things, you know? I’ve been suspecting there is no guy in the picture, and it angers me just thinking about it... I know how hard your first pregnancy was, and I can’t just accept that you’d have to handle everything without... without your partner by your side_.”

After he finished, Baekhyun exploded, bending over as laughter erupted from his stinging throat. It was not a subtle giggle that ended being a little louder than intended, but a boisterous guffaw that gave him a stomachache instead.

“ _What?_ ” Chanyeol, probably indignant, asked. “ _What the hell is so funny?_ ”

“You. You’re funny, Chanyeol! So, so funny... This is rich coming from you... it’s hilarious, really”, the smaller said, covering his face with both hands. Everything was too ridiculous, and Baekhyun knew he was about to go mad. He embraced the emotion, strangely willing to spill the cursed beans. “You’re the father of the child, Chanyeol—wait, no, I mean children. Yes, you heard right—I’m having twins again, can you believe it? What are the odds?” There was a jarring intake of air on Chanyeol’s part before the giant let strangled noises, but the smaller could not care less. “So, if you’re mad at the guy who impregnated me, then I think you should know that you’re mad at yourself”, he smirked, but there was not true trace of amusement in his pained features. “Congratulations, giant: we’re going to be parents of twins. Together. Again.”

And then, Baekhyun cowardly hung up, throwing his cellphone on the floor as he shielded himself under his bed-sheets. He buried his face in his new pillow as minutes passed by, but refused to fall asleep.

Chanyeol would call back. It was the last opportunity he would give him.

* * *

It had been two weeks without communication.

Dahyun’s friend lived with her old-fashioned grandparents in Otaki, in a beautiful house at the skirts of the forest. Signal was rather hard to find there, and the old couple possessed not more than basic electronics: an old television, a radio, some fans, and kitchen stuff. There was not a router. At first, it seemed like it would be a challenge to adapt, but then the lack of technological dependence became a blessing.

Chanyeol had not called him back to speak about the matter that night. He had sent him high-quality videos of Joohyun’s recital the next morning, just before Dahyun and he left to the train station, but he had refused to answer any of Baekhyun’s following texts.

It hurt.

It was disheartening and overly irksome, to be so easily dismissed like that. However, Baekhyun was not that surprised—it changrined him, but he had braced himself for this outcome after he had risked the confession. His main consolation during the past weeks had been his two beautiful daughters. They were more than enough. 

During the day, Dahyun and her friend Momo helped the old couple around with their domestic farm labors, taking care of the few animals they had and the fruit trees around their property. Momo was a rather soft-spoken and polite girl, and it was nothing but entertaining to watch her keep up with Dahyun’s hurricane-like energy. His daughter was an unstoppable ball of sunshine, and even Momo’s stern grandparents had fallen for her charming personality. She was a huge help. 

Thanks to her, Baekhyun found himself in high spirits on most days, even when he was banned from moving around too much. He could not exert himself for the babies’ sake, and the doctor had advised him to rest until his first trimester had finished. Thus Dahyun and her will to enjoy living saved him from boredom and anguish. She did everything in her power to spread her cheery mood and energy, even when she had to take things as easily because of her recovery. She calmly bounced through the fields with her mouth stuffed with fruits as Momo guided her, doing silly faces for everyone to laugh; she sat to talk to the animals until she ran out of important topics whenever she was free, and even climbed up some trees to take pictures of the amazing natural landscapes Baekhyun could not appreciate from his spot.

The clean air, the forest freshness... It was heaven to be far from all the stress.

After weeks of seeing her in a horrible bedridden state, there was nothing more relieving than watching her endlessly parading around, joining Momo whenever she went to visit the forest. The grandparents where surprised by his tranquil attitude about it, but he just knew Momo was a trustable girl. She always stepped in whenever Dahyun was acting borderline reckless, and persuaded her to be more careful because she had promised Baekhyun that she would keep an watchful eye on her. 

In those moments, Momo reminded him of his sweet, loving Joohyun, and it broke him apart to know that he would probably not see her in a long time.

During nights, when Dahyun was knocked out after a bustling day and loneliness seemed ready to crush him, his other daughter’s graceful, impressive and mesmerizing piano performance kept him awake, helping him recover some strenght to keep smiling. She had dedicated it to the babies, and it did not matter how many time he repeated it, it still made his heart churn and eyes burn. She looked so ethereal in her vintage-styled dress, with its ivory cap-sleeves and floor-lenght, tule skirt. She played so effortlessly, like she was one with the piano and nothing else existed in that moment. Her hair had been arranged in a neat, modest bun, and Baekhyun bitterly thought he could have made a gorgeous, more youthful mermaid braid to make her look even more beautiful than she was.

If only...

Back to Osaka, there were still zero messages from Chanyeol. Baekhyun was surprised and offended he had not asked  updates regarding Dahyun’s countryside experiences. It frustrated him to the point of stealing some angry tears from him, but he forced himself to regain his neutral facade so his daughter would not feel rejected by his appa’s negligence.

On their way home, they had stopped to buy some prenatal vitamins he had run out of during their trip, and had gotten stuck in the store because of a sudden drizzle. Heechul, who had picked them up and was carrying their heavy luggage since Baekhyun was forbidden from doing so, kelf cursing the weather, with a sensitive ferocity. There was a permanent frown on his face, and he seemed too stiff. It sent them bad vibes, but the was brushed off whenever he asked about it.

“Why are you so tense, hyung?” Baekhyun pried again as they watched thousand drops hit the pavement, waiting for the sky to clear up. Some people passing by stared at his belly (he was wearing a shirt that fitted him well two weeks prior, but now it looked a little small for his abdomen), an it made him all self-conscious and sensitive. “You’re being strangely quiet... Is everything alright?”

“Yes. I just remembered that I let some clothes out in the balcony,” Heechul said and Dahyun swiftly turned around, pinning him under a curious stare with her sharp eyes. “They’re going to be all wet and smelly by the time I’m back...”

“You can wash them later, uncle”, his daughter provided, wearing an easygoing smile. “Nothing a good fabric sotfener won’t resolve, right?”

Heechul just nodded, crossing both arms and moving his gaze around. Dahyun looked as puzzled as he was by such curt response, but she kept mute about it. Baekhyun’s head ached a little, knowing that Heechul was hiding something important from them.

Dahyun chirped happily as they finally strolled towards their home an hour later, her hands ocuppied with her carrier’s medicines. Heechul remained withdrawn and pensive while he hauled the two well-filled bags they had brought from Nagano. He was not even attempting to pretend he was listening to their new anecdotes, and what delicious food they had gotten from their nice hosts. Momo’s grandparents had been generous with them, storing a lot of fruits, organic jelly, meat and other homemade products. Momo’s grandmother had even given a list of tips and natural remedies for certain symptoms he could suffer during his pregnancy.

“So, this is my clue to leave”, Heechul announced as they stopped in front on their apartment, putting everything outside their door and dusting his pants. Baekhyun, who had been looking for the main key inside his handbag, halted his movements and observed him closely. “What?” Heechul asked.

Dahyun was craddling a sleepy Suho against her chest, looking kind of lost as her carrier gaped Heechul. Baekhyun’s thoughts seemed scattered around.

“You’re not staying for dinner...” He stated, tasting the words like they were unforeign, to which Heechul agreed. Carrier and daughter were openly stunned then. “Why is that?”

“I have things to do”, his friend shrugged off their questions, giving them a small, uncomfortable smile. “I’ll see you both tomorrow. Good luck.”

Heechul went ahead and left without providing more details or constructing a better excuse. Baekhyun and Dahyun stood in their places, sharing a look full of uneasiness and wonder. At the end, Baekhyun reassured his daughter that he would call Heechul later, and then they would invite him for dinner the following night.

Baekhyun had finished putting his slippers on when he heard his daughter screaming. Expecting the worst, he rushed past the entrance corridor and jogged to her room. He shot a quick peek inside and found Dahyun plastered againt the wall next to the ajar door, with her mouth agape and her wonderful eyes twinkling. He scouted the small place to see what had her so amazed, and all his blood stopped flowing in an instant.

He found no one else but Chanyeol napping in the floor, his upper-half body slumped against the single bed of his daughter, where Joohyun was just as sound asleep.

“Papa, they’re here!” Dahyun trembled, excitement taking over her being, not even minding that they had crashed in her bed without her permission—well, that was something petty _he_ minded. “Can I wake them up? Pretty please?”

Baekhyun stood there, motionless, totally speechless. His daughter tugged his arm and repeated her request, and he just wobbled, feeling like his world was crumbling down. He knew he should have made a scene right there. He could have kicked Chanyeol out of his home, or could have called the police to report his—not his daughter’s, because she was innocent and gullible—trepassing. He should have... acted according his indignation.

Instead, he shushed his ecstatic daughter and focused on breathing.

“Dahyun, let them sleep... come one”, he gently ushered her outside, closing the door behind him and staying against the wooden plank, lost in thought. Dahyun complained about it until she realized it was fruitless. She went to their narrow kitchen after that, humming a song that sent shivers over Baekhyun’s back.

* * *

Chanyeol woke up to the noise of a television. It was not loud, more like a discreet buzz, but he supposed he had gotten enough sleep for his blank dreams to be interrupted by it. His back muscles were slightly harmed by his atrocious position, which he discovered as he sat straighter, and he could not entirely feel his legs. It was disconcerting.

In his drowsy, after-stirring state of mind, his first concern was locating his daughter, who he remembered being close to when his eyes fell shut. She was tucked under Dahyun’s exotic, Bohemian bedding, her little face barely distinguishable among all the pink, blue, orange and green figures. He patted her head and rose to his feet, checking the dark room for a light switch.

Then, he heard it.

“ _Papa, look! One Piece marathon!_ ” A voice whose timbre was exactly like Joohyun’s exclaimed, being then hushed by a sagacious, more careful one.

“ _Lower the volume, your appa and sister are still sleeping..._ ”

_“Right! I’m sorry...”_

Chanyeol became wide-awake. The past forty-eight hours came back in a blink, with the devastating force of a lightning. He staggered and quivered, hitting the desk behind him without intending to and making a couple of items fall. He waited for a clue that he had been caught, but nothing happened.

As he arranged the photo frames and toy-plushes back into place, he berated himself for falling asleep before he could prepare something reasonable to say to Baekhyun. For God’s sake, he had showed up at his doorstep without a warning, technically invaded his home with Heechul’s help—he had been hard to coax, but his daughter had suceeded on sweeping him off his feet and winning his sympathy—and used one of the bedrooms to let his daughter slumber for a while.

He admired Baekhyun for not throwing him out, in all honesty. 

Chanyeol was not even sure how he would face Baekhyun after his senseless, ludicrous act. He had been absolutely shocked after the smaller’s revelation, and not because he could not believe it, but because he was actually _glad_. im the beginning, he had discarded the possibily of being the father because Dahyun had commented that Baekhyun’s off-balance health had been going around a month or less, not two months and a week or two. He remembered the smaller man had a date back then—his daughter had innocently called it a meeting with his new friend—, so he had assumed things had gone well for Baekhyun that night. But the suitor was never mentioned again, and he concluded what he did.

He had never felt as stupid as he did when Baekhyun had finished the call. Remorse and shame paralyzed him for hours, until Joohyun came in the living room and told him it was getting late. He wished he had realized it by his own, so he could have taken a better approach, and opted for better measures. They would have not been in a mess otherwise.

He froze when the light was suddenly on and Baekhyun appeared at the door, in a oversized shirt and Peanuts pajama pants, with a finger under the light switch he had been searching. Chanyeol noticed he looked fragile under the bright light; his jawline seemed sharper than before and his skin was in a pale shade of salmon. There was an acute accusation in his gaze, so palpable it made Chanyeol wince. He needed to hold his ground.

“What are you doing here?” He fired at the intruder, glaring at him. The giant gulped, but said nothing in his defense since he knew the smaller had a lot to reproach him for. 

He was about to press him more when Joohyun sat up, cutely rubbing her eyes as she raspily called for her father. Before Chanyeol could even move to reach her, Baekhyun hopped between and scooped her in his eager arms, showering her crown hair with butterfly kisses and soft words about being so excited of having her there.

“Papa!” She muttered, all captivated as she let herself be pampared in her awakening. A pair of happy tears from her were enough to activate her sister’s radar, because Dahyun—even though she had been completely absorted watching One Piece a second before—instantly appeared by the entrance, eyeing his father with glistening orbs and the biggest smile.

“Princess!” Chanyeol opened his arms and she jumped inside, laughing as her father swung from side to side with her secured inside his grip. “I missed you, princess!”

“I missed you more, appa!”

“Impossible.”

After the emotive reunion that lasted longer than expected, Baekhyun coughed to gain his family’s attention, his semblance sobering up from his buzzing joy.

“Dahyun, why don’t explain Joohyun what’s going on with One Piece? You said it’s one of your favorite episodes...” There was that expression on his face that Dahyun regonized as problematic.

She seized her sister’s wrist, grinning from ear to ear.

“Do you remember Chopper, Jojo? The cute reindeer with the pink hat? It’s his episode!” She took her out of the room before her baffled twin could even reply, leaving their parents in an uncomfortable silence.

Baekhyun crossed his legs, eyes hard and unforgiving as the door was shut.

“You and I have to talk”, he pointed at Chanyeol, tone merciless and sentiments sealed. “And you better explain what the hell is happening, and what you pretend by coming here.”


	8. Part VIII

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I lied... this is not the last chapter. I'm sorry, so, so, sorry. I didn't like it how I rushed into things, so I added a few more details. I'm sorry, again. But, I PROMISE THE NEXT ONE IS THE LAST ONE.  
> Thanks for your patience :)

Chanyeol’s muscles were painfully taut and his stance seemed offensive, ready to strike, when he was exactly the opposite inside. Inwardly, his determination wavered like a leaf during a breezy afternoon because he had been efficiently disarmed by his ex-husband’s stalwart glower. Baekhyun’s powerful gaze was still as cunning and harsh as he remembered it from their last months together, when he first feared the possibility of his mother instigating Baekhyun to fill a divorce.

“I’m positive you didn’t fly all the way from Korea just to openly stare at me like that, Chanyeol”, the smaller pointed out, interlacing his elegant fingers. His voice was thick with a troublesome emotion. “What was so important, that you believed it would be a good idea to show up at my apartment in such unconventional way, after blatantly ignoring me for weeks? Enlighten me, please.”

“I’m sorry, Baekhyun. I’m so, so sorry”, the taller faintly said, holding his chin high and letting his eyes melt under Baekhyun’s harsh ones. He did not notice the smaller flinching, as if his volume had been raucous. “I’m sorry... for everything.”

“Is that all you have to say?”

Baekhyun quietly shifted. He puffed some pillows and repositioned the cushions against his aching waist. His homey shirt got stretched around his abdomen, making its round form evident. A fleeting glimpse of his emergent baby bump was enough to shorten Chanyeol’s breath, and the earth seemed to quak under his feet when the hard shock was plunged into his chest. He stumbled and wordlessly fell onto his knees, all overwrought and mesmerized.

His abrupt and rather klutzy tumble startled Baekhyun, but curled his tongue and held back any cynical comments, all sensible and vulnerable to Chanyeol’s goggling eyes, which studied his body under a glassy, dreamy layer of attachment.

“Ours…” He shakily whispered and Baekhyun trembled as the deep note assaulted his sensitive eardrums. Chanyeol’s gaze was filled with confused tears when he tentatively neared a palm to the other’s unprotected belly, gambling quick glances up here an there to see his reaction. Baekhyun contained a sigh as the eager hand came to touch his solid stomach, spreading a small, nice heat-wave. Chanyeol whimpered, amazed that Baekhyun was not rejecting his caress, and the smaller unwillingly mimicked it, victim of the contenment the other’s tender stroking provided. “My God, these are _my_ babies…”

Something strange happened then.

A furious emotion had been scorching his chest, bubbling inside his throat and burning it like acid; he had identified it as plain anger and Baekhyun had been ready to manifest it. However, when he unzipped his lips to say something after acquiescing in the significant encounter between his unborn babies and their father, an overwhelming elation captured his spiteful words and unwound his scowl, replacing it with a pliant, timid smile. He felt genuine sympathy toward the man breaking down in front of him, becoming a priceless mess with a simple pat on the belly that secured his children’s growth. Giggles escaped him once Chanyeol’s fingers fearlessly tickled his sides, in the exact way he used to during their first pregnancy. When their unclouded gazes overlapped each other’s, time stilled and a wordless amnesty was settled.

At that moment, Baekhyun clearly distinguished Chanyeol as his erstwhile husband, his former best friend and past partner in crime; he was the man who had treasured him in a way that none else had before. Such notion left him feeling very affectionate and lenient, tasting a bittersweet friendly type of love in the tip of his usually quarrelsome tongue. Chanyeol could understand it, because he had experienced a similar change of heart during that night prior Joohyun’s concert.

He closed his hand over Chanyeol’s knuckles, thumb lightly tracing a formless pattern over them, and spoke with more thoughtfulness than before. There were things that could not be ignored much longer. He wanted to do things accordingly.

“What are we going to do about this?” Baekhyun wetted his lips, rueful, and sighed. “How are we suppose to face this?”

“They’re twins, aren’t they?” The giant asked in a trance, applying a little force against the growing stomach; it seemed he desired to feel them even though it was still too early for that. Baekhyun nodded, eyes a bit absent as Chanyeol brushed the tip of his nose against soft fabric. “Please, don’t suggest a fair arrangement like the one we have with Joohyun and Dahyun, Baekhyun… I won’t have any of that. It’ve made our daughters miserable... And it’s has clearly strained us.”

The smaller could not fight him when he perfectly understood where he was coming from, but tried anyway. They could not be platonic about it.

“I… I can’t imagine a perfect solution for this, Chanyeol. Someone’s going to end up hurt, or is going to have their queries unsatisfied. It’s inevitable”, he realistically warned, eyes shedding some frustrated tears as Chanyeol’s heartbreaking, secretive smile appeared over his exhausted face, so understanding despite what he had previously stated. “Either we split the custody and financial responsibilities, and we subject them to a life full of hideous schedules, alternating who gets to spent time with who during specific periods of time before switching, or we choose a twin and relieve the stress by reducing the planning to some occasional, important events...”

Chanyeol laughed, but it was an ironical, depressing laughter.

“I can’t determine which one sound less awful.”

“We don’t have many alternatives, Chanyeol. You have built a life in Korea, with all your friends and relatives there, and I have secured mine here. Joohyun’s place is by your side and Dahyun’s is by mine, and there’s nothing we can really do about it—nothing rational and prudent, at least”, a surprising, unearthly wisdom soaked his sincere words, leaving Chanyeol in a quizzical state.

He wanted to ask Baekhyun to stop sprinkling salt over his gushing wounds, but he knew they could not postpone it any longer.

Baekhyun kept going, “I won’t persuade you to abandon your job and everything you’ve achieved so far, and move here to take care of our children—because I just _know_ you’ve been thinking about it. Neither will I throw out of the window all my sacrifices and struggles to return to Korea. I left for a reason and I’m not ready to go back. I think common sense dictates the most adequate solution for this is dividing the custody again.”

“Isn’t it selfish? To think solely about what is convenient for us?” Chanyeol seemed to gather his rumpled thoughts and exercised self-possession, focusing on the discussion with more distinct reasoning. “What about our daughters? They want to be closer… they long for it. What should we do about it?”

“Our daughters have spent most of their lives apart. Even if it sounds rather ruthless, it’s clear they can survive the distance. They’ve adapted well for the past weeks. Besides, I don’t see how wrecking their entire lives would be any beneficial in the long run. Dahyun has people and things she loves here; her point of equilibrium is here, with everything she’s familiar with.”

Baekhyun lowered his voice until his sentences were hushed and inaudible from outside, like he was scared of being heard. Considering Dahyun’s antecedents, he had reasons to be this cautious.

“Can’t you say the same about Joohyun? She must have people she values and hobbies she likes doing there. She wouldn’t be half as happy and wonderful if that wasn’t the case. Do you actually want to change that? Because I think we’ve complicated things enough...”

Chanyeol brooded, and Baekhyun wordlessly watched him in a mourning respect, wondering if everything he said revealed what he honestly wanted, or if his doubts were just a signal of foolish insecurities related to unhealed psychological wounds. Probably a disturbing mix of both.

The giant frowned at last, seeming resigned to a wicked fate. “I’m not exactly happy with this, but... We’ll talk about shared custody later. I just... have something else to say”, he paused to muse about something, and he looked even moren aggraviated when the smaller man remained silent. “Even if we got to… pick one of the twins”, he uttered the word with such disgust it made the other man wince and advert his disheartened, ashamed gaze, “I’d rather have the babies spent their first years with you, Baekhyun. Do you think we could arrange something like that?”

A crease appeared on his forehead. His heartbeat spiked up.

“What…? Why would you do that?”

“The first years are essential, right?” Baekhyun’s beautiful eyes blinked tears way as his bit the interior of his flushed cheeks, emotionally perplexed by Chanyeol’s suggestion. “If I can make them stay with their carrier, who I believe it’s much fit for the task of taking great care of them, then I will. You should be the one to watch over them—and don’t worry, I’ll stay in contact and send whatever amount of money we agree on to help you with the expenses.”

“I thought you wanted to take full responsibility”, he muttered, scowling; it irritated him that the other had brought such shameless idea into discussion—but, at the same time, it warmed him the nice consideration. Chanyeol cleared his throat and fixed a solemn, severe look over his features, and Baekhyun’s hands clenched. It shook a great part of his self-control to keep their aloof stances. “I’m sorry, but I fail to see how leaving all the hard work to me is ‘taking responsibility’, Chanyeol.”

“I didn’t say I would disappear from the map. I want to be there for you all the way, but you’ve made it clear that things aren’t going to be easy for us. Our current jobs and residences are just some immediate obstacles—our friends, family, legal situation... yes, I can see there are many more reasons to abide by your proposal. But, still... I know what you’re trying to do, and I’m not letting you get away with it. You’re not running away from me, Baekhyun. You won’t get rid of my presence anytime soon.”

Said man feigned ignorance, but silently applauded Chanyeol for having the guts to confront him about it. He had obviously hit a nerve. “What do you have in mind, then?” He asked instead.

“I’ll try to stay here as long as possible everytime I visit. Joohyun’s to go back next week for school, and I’ll leave with her to sort some things out. After that, you should prepare yourself to see me more frequently”, there was something in his eyes, so candid and resolute, it deliciously touched Baekhyun’s confused heart. “You can’t travel after you after you surpass thee twenty weeks, and neither will the babies once they’re born, so it’s up to me to look for some solution for the meantime. Perhaps I won’t be able to come as often as I would like, but… we’ll manage. I need you to cooperate, too, Baekhyun. If you need anything... tell me, please. I can’t just guess what is on your mind.”

“We’ll manage”, Baekhyun repeated, not in the mood to convince him otherwise. He was reassuring himself as well, strangely comforted by Chanyeol’s steadfast mindset. “I suppose that’s enough for now... Um, are you guys staying for dinner? I made some yakisoba with chicken”, he dumbly added, feeling abashed and edgy once he noticed the intimate air was becoming too heavy. “Ah! I have something for you...”

The smaller scrambled out of his daughter room, and returned not even a minute later with a squared piece of paper in his hand. Chanyeol did not have to think hard to guess what it was, seeing that he still had the twins’ first ultrasound inside his wallet.

“Uh, congratulations, giant”, Baekhyun awkwardly said as he left the photo before those big eyes that shook in awe of it, sitting next to him. “You managed to impregnante a practically barren man.”

Chanyeol was about to erupt in guffaw when the doorbell rang. Chanyeol stood aside and helped Baekhyun to raise to his feet, their hands sending electric vibes all over their bodies with just the shy graze. Neither had stepped out of the room when they heard the twins’ commotion coming their way, too busy boldly looking at the other.

“Papa, papa! They’re here…” Dahyun gingerly blocked the doorway of her bedroom, yanking Joohyun closer as her sister kept throwing brief glances behind her. The younger twin looked as mislaid as their disconcerted parents. “Jiji and baba are here, papa…”, their eldest daughter theatrically announced it, jumpy and a little frantic. “And they don’t look very happy.”

Her voice held a nervous and heavy pant, and her mesmerizing eyes were wide and apprehensive. Baekhyun’s face blanched as his hands moved to his stomach.

“Chanyeol, Joohyun, could you please stay inside Dahyun’s room? This a problematic matter...” The smaller pleaded. “My grandparents can be difficult.”

“I still remember the awful wedding present they sent—”, Chanyeol snorted, but could not finish because Baekhyun quickly shoved his ex-husband inside the bedroom, mindful of using zero gentleness.

He then turned to meet his daughter and lovingly pecked her forehead, trying to appease her notorious anxiety with a charming, kind smile. Dahyun retired to the adjacent room as he cooed to calm Joohyun down, all of them ignoring Chanyeol’s vehement complaints in the background.

“My grandparents aren’t exactly easy people. I... I’m sorry for putting you through this. Would you help papa just this time?” His beloved darling nodded as her sister approached, carrying a large-sized hoodie for her carrier, and Baekhyun silently thanked them. “I’ll introduce you when they’re in better spirits.”

Dahyun jogged in a even pace in her place, jumping from one foot to the other. “Jiji and baba are very strict, Jojo. They don’t like surprises and they don’t like visitors appearing without previous notice... They don’t even know that papa is pregnant! They could get angry for so many reasons... They’re very scary when they get angry.”

“Dahyun, baby, please”, her carrier chided her, but he was tittering in the same nervous way, as if neither could help but find the situation hilarious. “Go save some of the dishes in a lunch box for your sister and father, please. I have a feeling that you grandparents are going to stay for dinner.”

“Got it, captain”, she cheerfully exclaimed and saluted before scampering again.

“You should tell them before it gets too evident, Baekhyun”, Chanyeol commented as Joohyun’s mouth formed a perfect circle, her expression welcoming the overwhelming surprise. “You don’t need extra stress.”

The taller man beckoned his daughter to accompany him, picking up the pup that came rushing from the kitchen, since Dahyun had softly shooed him. Baekhyun petted her crown before she scurried in a haste, drawing Suho from his father’s arms and nuzzling his velvety fur. The puppy barked, apparently delighted, and the girl laughed wholeheartedly.

“I know, I’ll do it after we’ve properly settled things… Just, wish me luck. They can be more stubborn than us together”, Baekhyun said, massaging his aching shoulders. 

As he was about to twirl on his heels, Chanyeol and Joohyun showed him their thumbs up, identical face-splitting grins on their faces, before they closed the door with heartenning chants. His grandparentes started knocking, and Baekhyun could not wipe the silly smile he got on his face as he approached the door.

“Baekhyun, Dahyun, are you there?” He heard his grandmother calling them with her rusty, ovetaxed voice. She did not sound the slightest chirpy or joyful, and that was not a good signal.

“All ready, papa”, Dahyun’s head peered from the kitchen at the end of the corridor, with her beam as big and vibrant as his.

Dinner would be a hellish ride, and yet Baekhyun had never felt as brave and strong.

* * *

“Appa, you’re crying…” Joohyun murmured and cleaned a stray tear that rushed past his jaw and dropped into his collarbones. She kneeled on the bed and regarded Chanyeol with a softened gaze. “Why are you so sad, appa? Did you get hurt?”

Chanyeol muffled a boisterous laugh, aware the people next room had gone silent all of the sudden; he assumed they were dinning. “I’m not sad, love… I’m very, very happy. These are happy tears. I didn’t think I’d be a father again… not like this. It was a nice surprise, you know? I’m so excited.”

Joohyun blinked, a slow-building smile stretching between her lovely, rosy cheeks.

“Are you their appa as well? Really?” She sat over his lap and hugged his neck with so much strenght and delectation, it left him a bit breathless. She eased her grip and tilted her head back, separating herself from her parent just enough to examine his goofy aspect, all bewildered. “Wait—but, how it happened?”

Chanyeol flushed, mortified. He was not answering that question. “What?”

Joohyun kept blinking in confusion as her father stared at her with an anxious expression. “Well, they told us in biology that there has to be a—”

“Princess! You should totally discuss this with your papa... He understands it better than I, okay?” Chanyeol squeaked, his blush becoming noticeable when Joohyun frowned to herself and gave a brief nod. After an awkward pause, she started giggling. Suho’s petite nose was glued to her lace sock while he yipped the soft texture around her toe.

Chanyeol hoisted the little pup with a single hand, bringing him over his daughter’s dainty knees and tickling his tiny muzzle. Meanwhile both of them played with the animated little thing, yelling exploded outside. Joohyun froze in alarm when a particular rash remark about Baekhyun’s pregnancy tresspassed the thin walls, and her caught-in-the-headlights look made Chanyeol momentarily tense up.

She tightened her delicate lips when her father shushed her, merrily winking at her. “Let’s keep quiet as your papa and sister resolve this, okay? Don’t worry, princess”, he fished his thin cellphone out of his pocket and swiftly grabbed the pretty headphones on Dahyun’s nightstand. Selecting a movie he had downloaded a few days before, he got Joohyun side-tracked by watching it as he listened, waiting for the discussion to simmer down.

However, things did not get calmer. The argument turned fierce, and the shouting worsened as minutes passed by. It did not seem like the verbal agression would improve anytime soon. He could hardly follow the train of their discussion since the volume of their voices was cuttingly fluctuating. He knew it had begun with Dahyun’s treatment and her school-related activities, and it had taken a bad turn once the light was moved over their two-weeks long trip to Nagano.

For what he could deduce, his ex-husband’s grandparents were not content with the prolongued extension of their trip to the countryside, because Baekhyun had told them it would last five days at most. It had sparked a merciless debate about Baekhyun’s indolent flexibility. They agreed he ought to be strict, less care-free, and were set on demonstrating their point.

Dahyun had tried to defend her father when the cruel criticism had started, stunningly loyal to the very end, but the old couple would brush her words off whenever she rose her voice and justified her carrier. Baekhyun had sent her to her room a few times already, but she had hotly protested against it, which severed her carrier’s image even more.

The noises ceased and there was a peaceful silence. Chanyeol thought they had reached a point of détente, but he had mistook the meaning of it.

The door was opened and his other daughter hurried inside, with her irises all fogged, her high-spirits jittery and degraded. Dahyun threw the door close, and slumped her body against it. Joohyun’s own eyes flickered around and halted to observe her crestfallen appearance, and her sweet grin slowly faded as Dahyun’s heavy emotions crawled under her skin and triggered her. She jerked the headphones off her, startling their father, and rushed to her side, drapping her arms around her in a clingy lock.

Chanyeol’s bloodstream boiled as Dahyun sighed in defeat, picking Suho up when he ran to her, a deep frown attached to her usually easygoing expression. 

“What happened, onee-chan?” Joohyun inquired, looking at the closed door with worry. Baekhyun bellowed again, more frantic than before, and the three of them recoiled. “Is everything okay?”

“Jiji and baba discovered papa’s belly and started saying mean things to him. They called him names, too. They told him to discard our siblings... to learn to be mature for once”, she recited in an uncertain tone, as if she could not really comprehend what they meant by that. It prompted Chanyeol’s temper to dangerously raise as his distraught daughter kept narrating what had transpired outside. “They said they would cut off ties with us if he didn’t listen... Papa doesn’t look very good. He was pale, appa. They said they’re going to get us kicked out from here. I don’t understand why...”

Chanyeol lost it, then.

“Dada, love, pack anything you think you’ll need during the next few weeks”, his daughter was going to object his strange request but Joohyun stopped her with a gesture, knowing well the heartfelt, intuitive look their father sported. Dahyun was encouraged by her to obey, and ended hastily treading around, gathering her belongings and throwing them inside a rolling bag. “Don’t come out, girls. Okay?” Chanyeol unlatched the door when he saw that Dahyun was almost ready, and carefully stepped out, just in time to see his ex-husband been slapped by his grandmother.

He instantly saw red. 

* * *

“You should’ve stayed out of it”, Baekhyun begrudgingly muttered as Chanyeol handed him a comfy sweatshirt and some jogging pants; he had suggested Baekhyun to take a shower and wear a clean change of clothes before going to sleep. The smaller took a deep breath as the taller went back to rumage through his suitcase in silence. “I’m sorry you had to witness such ridiculous scene. I must’ve looked quite pathetic...”

Chanyeol’s hands fell limp over a pile of clothes, and his stormy gaze gave the smaller a paradoxic sense of security—he was angry and revengeful, but his objective was not him. “Stop it, Baekhyun. You shouldn’t be apologizing or feeling regretful over anything; you did nothing wrong. They should’ve been more respectful and attentive... You’re _pregnant_ , for criying out loud! They could’ve caused you a worse complication—not that messing up your blood pressure and almost sending you to ER isn’t critical enough. I don’t care about their motives, it wasn’t okay to demand something as rash as an abortion and forcing you out of your own home because you didn’t assent. Who the hell does that? They shouldn’t have tried to mingle with your life. With all due respect, your grandparents are fucking crazy.”

The smaller shrunk to himself, toying a single thread that swung out of the sweatshirt around his middle finger. Sensitive tears prickled his blood-shot eyes as he endlessly replayed everything inside his head. He was clearly upset for what Chanyeol had attested. On top of that, he was mad at himself for what one of his daughters had suffered, since it had been his inadequacity to indulge his interests the main cause of it.

He was hurt, worn out and overall defeated.

“You’re overthinking”, the giant guessed, taking his tense body language and gloomy look as a gauge. The hotel room fell into an uncomfortable quietude, and Chanyeol shifted closer to Baekhyun, risking to grasp one of his trembling hands inside his bigger, warmer one. “Look, Baek... I know things aren’t going as smoothly as you had expected, but you can’t do this to yourself—this pointless self-berating and guilty trip. Your daughters are here, safe and sound, sleeping next room with a dog that could cost us a pretty high-priced penalty fee if the hotel staff found him”, the joke stole a short snicker from the smaller before it turned self-depreciating. Chanyeol’s grip became insistent as Baekhyun’s mood dampened. “You’re stable, and so are the babies. Isn’t that enough for now?”

Baekhyun hunched over.

“What about my dignity?” He confided in Chanyeol, groaning as the giant responded to his pitiful phase with an incredulous look.

It bothered him, because these events made him feel like a failure, and he was not used to process such negativity.

“I mean... I was feeling so great before they showed up. Things seemed like be finally falling into place... but now I’m here, in some hotel at Yodo River, wondering what the hell I’m supposed to do with my life from this point onwards”, he gritted his teeth as he drew slow circles over his stomach, shaking his head. “This is unbelievable. I still can’t believe they swayed the landlord to kick us out—they didn’t even care that I wasn’t the only tenant, Chanyeol. Their great-granddaughter was involved as well... and fuck, they even had the guts to try to take her with them”, he uttered with frivolous disdain, but Chanyeol could sense how deeper the wound actually was. Baekhyun cared too much for his own good. “I thought they were different from my parents, you know? More reasonable... but they obviously aren’t. Hell, at least I know where my mother’s damned ill-humor came from...”

“Baekhyun, stop it...” The taller muttered, wanting to lull his distress. Baekhyun was at the verge of collapsing, and he felt so helpless as the pieces of his broken self slipped through his fingers.

The smaller became hostile out of nowhere.

“No! Do you even know how it feels?” He jerked his hand back, sluggishly crawling further away, reaching the headboard and slamming his hands against its hard surface. Chanyeol winced as he eyed the reddening palms. “You can’t even imagine it! This is... this is...”

Chanyeol, all tight-lipped and unruffled, steely watched him slouch his shoulders and press his back against the bed mattress, rolling to his side and folding his legs to have them tucked under his chin. He shivered, looking doubtful and pained, like he was digesting everything that had occurred the past eight hours and realized he was hopelessly stuck in a pandemonium. Like that, he seemed younger, more breakable and heartbreakingly lonely.

Baekhyun started sobbing then. “I’m homeless, Chanyeol... My doctor just prescribed me more expensive medicines and ordered me to keep bed rest... I just risked our babies’ wellbeing! I can’t work like this, which means I can’t provide enough for my daughter or the babies, and... this just feels like...”

Like nine years ago, when I found myself at my grandparents’ doorstep—jobless, with no place to stay, a feverish toddler in his arms and enough desperation to beg for help.

“Like what?” Chanyeol probed, but he already had an idea.

“Nothing. Forget it”, Baekhyun groaned, harshly rubbing his eyes and standing up with the sweatshirt in his hands. His gaze was turbulent and hazed. He sniffed. “You wouldn’t understand... I’ll take a quick shower. You can go to sleep if you want, I won’t mind.”

“You’re not useless, Baek”, he replied when Baekhyun tried to sneak into the bathroom, a few tears rushing out of his eyes as he slid past Chanyeol’s bed. He stopped to listen, and the giant felt an upsurge of courage. “You shouldn’t blame yourself for this mess. Your grandparents crossed a line, alright? They’re out of their right mind. What they did was childish and simply preposterous... They had no valid reason to treat you like that—I already told you, we could go to the police to press charges for all of this, but you keep on refusing. You could’ve gotten seriously harmed, Baekhyun.”

“I’m not pushing my grandparents through that. They’re too old to deal with legal procedures and... I should’ve been smarter”, Baekhyun scrunched his nose as he made eye-contact with the other, who seemed greatly infuriated. “Besides, they have strong connections with political figures. I’m sure it’d would be futile at the end... let’s drop it.”

“Why are you defending them?” Chanyeol hotly asked and his gaze hardened. Baekhyun deserved better, and he could not understand why the smaller, whose self-confidence was his most prized value, suddenly seemed like he believed otherwise. “When you found out you were pregnant with the twins and your parents reacted just as badly... you didn’t justify them. You rebelled against them for the sake of our daughters—for your own welfare and self-esteem. Why are you letting them affect you like this now? You said you wouldn’t lower your dignity for anyone ever again.”

Baekhyun humorlessly laughed, “and what did I earn for that stunt, Chanyeol? My parents died in a car crash before I could even force them to meet their grandchildren at least once, and I couldn’t even cry at their funeral because I was utterly disgusted with myself... This time it’s different. I want it to be different.”

The taller man did not comment about it, the dark memories of the miserable buring still too vivid in his mind. He had silently carried their twins the three hours Baekhyun had stayed by his parents’ gravestones, tearless eyes looking elsewhere but the fresh tombs. Chanyeol had not said anything when Baekhyun turned to him and received Dahyun, before walking away without bidding them a proper goodbye. He had paid his respects with deeeply felt bow, quickly stalking to go after his husband.

Baekhyun watched him for a moment and started looking less shaken, inhaling and exhaling in a regular, easier rhythm.

“I didn’t like them that much, Chanyeol, but their sudden deaths tore me apart. I’m not willing to carry more emotional baggage because of my pride... I’ve lost enough. Just let them be”, he briefly glanced at him, and Chanyeol felt like he should be vehemently denying it, but he discovered he was voiceless. “I’m not defending my grandparents, I’m picking my battles according my abilities—I can discern when it’s wise to oppose and when it’s better to stay quiet. I don’t want to deal with more shit, okay? I want peace and space... If they don’t want me in their lives, I won’t stay. This is the closure I need.”

And he lightly smiled, leaving the giant gaping like a fish out of the water at his retreating silhouette as he entered the bathroom. After a few seconds, Chanyeol cackled out of sheer confusion, barely exasparated by Baekhyun’s mood swings, mostly amused by his conduct.

He confirmed the smaller had zero control over his feelings and subsequent actions later when, during the first hours of the morning, he felt his bed dipping under some foreign weight, another body curling against the expanse of his lukewarm back. He found Baekhyun clutching the hem of his t-shirt when he glanced over his broad shoulder; he was wordlessly weeping, bitting his lower lip and letting tremors slightly shake his frame. He met his puzzled eyes with an intrepid force and, though he looked absolutely ashamed for being discovered in such position, he looked too fatigued to scoot away. Chanyeol enclosed him against his chest, not really minding Baekhyun’s oscilating mood.

It was obvious he was beyond drained, and Chanyeol just wanted to support him. He was just as responsible for this mess.

“I feel lost and tired”, Baekhyun whispered after a few beats in complete stillness. He returned the selfless embrace with an apparent histrionic urgency, but the raving heartbeats Chanyeol could faintly perceive betrayed how much the smaller man craved the intimacy. He listened with a religious endearment. “My grandparents got enough troubles when they took us in, Yeol. They’ve done so much for Dahyun, even when they weren’t obligated to, and guided me to find a good, honorable path. This just went out of control... They’re not bad people, just old-fashioned and radical worriwarts...”

 _In spite of everything, you still feel grateful for their help. I get it now_ , Chanyeol thought, hugging the smaller tighter. “Sleep, Baek. Things will get better.”

“Don’t let me go, please...”

Chanyeol tightened his grasp. “I won’t.”

* * *

Baekhyun woke up feeling oddly blissful—no morning sickness, no piercing back pain, no killing headache, no disturbing queasiness. Caged inside the giant’s careful grasp, his slim legs messily tangled with Chanyeol’s long ones, greedy arms chained around the hard chest, Baekhyun felt the exquisite spark of fulfillment. At that moment, he would have given anything up to stay there, confided in the closeness, protected from the world and its dreadful predicaments. He had dearly missed sleeping with the giant like this, in this sort of inmost, non-sexual felicity—it was just Chanyeol’s gift to make people feel worshipped with a single touch.

However, his paradisiacal reverie was rudely interrupted by a loud, obnoxious knocking.

“Baekhyun! Hey, open up!” Heechul’s spiked voice had him sniveling again, and he landed a swift kick against Chanyeol’s shin to get him up. The taller moaned in discomfort and released his hold, all disoriented and irritable. Baekhyun was just as upset. “Baekhyun, come on!”

“Shut up!”, Chanyeol growled in automatic response, irked by the unpleseant intruder’s yelling, and Baekhyun rolled his eyes when he heard the angry gasp his friend expelled from the other side of the door. “It’s too early for this!”

“I dare you to say that to my face, asshole!”

With that distinct snarl, Chanyeol sobbered up. “Please, don’t tell me that’s Heechul”, the giant murmured, taking Baekhyun’s hand with an uneasy insistence. “Baek...”

“Though luck, isn’t it?”

Rumors about their melodramatic expulsion reached Heechul through their gossip-enthusiast neighbors, even before Baekhyun had gathered enough courage to inform him about the embittering episode, hence his keen-witted friend popping out of nowhere with relatively good news them. He had managed to inveigle the landlord into letting them clean out their apartment before Baekhyun’s grandparents arrived to finish the task themselves. He also had offered his home as a temporary residence for them until Baekhyun figured everything out.

Baekhyun felt badgered nonetheless grateful for his friend’s succor—everything was hurtful and shockingly real, heavier than it seemed the night prior, but Heechul’s help surely made it bearable. Chanyeol’s revitalizing smiles and optimistic words did the trick, too.

So, there he was, half-heartedly petting the puppy’s soft belly once he had run out of energy after scuttling around Baekhyun for hours. Suho was falling in and out of slumber over his lap, and Baekhyun felt sleepy just by watching his droppy eyes and cute yawning. He had nothing to do apart from being hypnotized by Suho’s trivial actions; no one was available to even spare him a few seconds for a conversation, let alone sitting down to keep him company. And they had banned him from lifting a single finger.

Chanyeol, the nearest person he could talk to, had been assigned to stash the housewares laid out around their living room and kitchen, and he had completely devoted himself to his duty, which meant he only acknowledged Baekhyun whenever he needed directions. For one part, it was a good thing his assignment entirely engrossed Chanyeol, because it practically gave him the green light to relish his quiet admiring from afar. Baekhyun was feeling unusually needy as time progressed, and craved Chanyeol’s exclusive attention more than anything else. Just watching him would never be enough, but he would have to settle for it.

The other three were not even inside his range of sight to distract him. Heechul was in charge of cleaning his bedroom—which he could not have trusted to anyone else, in all honesty—and the girls were supposed to be organizing Dahyun’s personal belongings in her room, though he could hear them doing everything but what Heechul had asked them to do.

At some point, between hearing his daughters’ merriment and observing Chanyeol working, he went woolgathering, gradually losing counsciousness to an enticing siesta.

“Heechul wants me to get some food”, Chanyeol’s firm, husky voice pronounced, and he felt him stepping into his personal space. His loud tone jolted Baekhyun into full awareness, and he was amazed to see that Chanyeol had already wrapped and stored most of the accesories and electronics of his area; the few pieces of furniture they owned were the only things still untouched. “He said I should take you with me so you can stop sulking. Do you want to come?”

It was unfair, Baekhyun thought. Chanyeol looked unearthly handsome even after hours of restless exertion, with his black hair messily pushed back and the sleeves of his grey checkered shirt rolled up, showing off the attractive lines of his veins. It did not help that his voice echoed with a little raspy quality, perhaps for short-lived disuse, and that his flushed neck had trails of perspiration.

It left his mouth dry.

Baekhyun face-palmed himself and repeated a low chatisement, piqued because he had been having inappropiate thoughts about Chanyeol all morning.

“Not really. Why don’t you take the girls instead? Fresh air is going to be good for them”, he knew he sounded gloomy and frustrated, but he could not really care about it. He did not even dissemble his mood, standing up with a grumpy grunt and whining about, well, _everything_. “I think Heechul’s already disassembled my bed, so I was hoping to get some rest on Dahyun’s... Help me out, please? Sleep sounds like heaven right now.”

Chanyeol gaved him a well-meaning, tender smile, and the pregnant one felt butterflies, bees and all the known flying insects again. “Of course, Baek. I don’t think they’re getting much done anyways”, the giant chuckled and, as if on clue, pop music and fan-girl shrieks blasted from the girls’ room. Then, Dahyun and Joohyun happily howled when the chorus of that particular song began.

“ _You and I kiss, I feel good! I give myself to you, I feel good—”_

Chanyeol’s lofty body went as rigid as cement once he recognized the unmistakable tune and the haunting lyrics, probably recalling the provocative impression the smaller had opted for when he sang that night, and Baekhyun, not wanting to stay there any longer and be subjected to the inevitable humilliation, hurtled towards the room to call their girls.

“This is really pretty, onee-chan!” Joohyun twittered from inside.

Baekhyun, being the normal-curious parent he was, leaned over to spy them. Joohyun had a porcelain doll with beautiful golden curls in her cautious grasp, which he instantly recognized as one of Taeyeon’ souvenirs from his friends’ last trip to France. Dahyun was shaking her body to the sensuous rhythm of the song.

“Appa and I went to an European restaurant in Haeundae-gu a couple of days before he sent me away to the summer camp...”, Joohyun cleared her throat with a nervous smile, because the topic of their accident kept making her slightly uncomfortable. “The owner was married to a nice, Italian woman who had pretty spiral curls like these”, she made the doll’s hair bounce, and absolute delight lit her face up. “She had such a nice voice, too. Like Wheein’s!”

Baekhyun noticed Dahyun stopping her lively chanting by her side, looking pensive and unsure.

“How is living in Busan?” His daughter wondered. Joohyun halted, seeming as confused by her weird question as Baekhyun was. However, she descried something about Dahyun’s eccentric mien that Baekhyun could not pinpoint, and it made soothing colors blossom in her aspect.

“As good as living anywhere with your beloved ones, onee-chan”, Joohyun responded. “I love Busan because appa’s friends are there, and appa’s not as worn out as before. When we lived in Changwon, he was constantly tired and always pretended to be in his best condition, even when everyone knew he wasn’t okay. He worked extra-hard then, and whenever he had a day off, he would spend it watching movies and cooking with me”, she explained as she gingerly took Dahyun’s hand, and Baekhyun felt a razor-edged pang in his heart because leaving their hometown and moving to Changwon had been his fault in the first place, and Chanyeol had never liked there. “Now, he’s time to visit museums and food markets with me... I have a really funny anecdote from our first time in Jagalchi. Do you want to hear it?”

But Dahyun did not answer, pursuing her lips as she profoundly thought about something.

“I think you’ll love seeing the beaches and temples at night—they’re scary for me, but appa say they’re very beautiful. Oh, and the festivals! I saw Mamamoo last spring... I asked appa and he promised me that we’d go all together to their next concert. Would you like that, onee-chan?”, Joohyun tried again, mildly nudging her while a marvelous smile appeared over her petal-like lips. Baekhyun had stopped breathing because he knew what Dahyun was thinking—it was clear in her disheartened, sad expression. “Onee-chan?”

“I really like living here, Jojo... People are great and there are many funny things to do”, she sighed and started swaying her legs back and forth. “I like dragging papa all around Namba when he says it’s okay to go shopping, and I love whenever Hee-uncle coaxes papa into getting us free passes for the aquarium since some of his colleagues work there, too. Or when Hee-uncle books us a whole day in Spa World—some ladies over there are head over heels with him and they get us pretty good discounts”, she recalled with fondness, making her twin sister beam in return. “And I don’t think nothing much will ever compare to when papa and I do hanami around the castle during Spring, or when my friends’ big brothers take us to the Tenjin festival and sit us on their shoulders so we can see the fireworks”, Dahyun blinked some tears away, a strange type of yearn plastered in her eyes as she studied the porcelain doll Joohyun had let over her bed. Her sister side-hugged her, dumbstruck by her quivering smile and waning poise. “But... I want to do all those things with appa and you, too. I love being here with papa... but South Korea sounds great, because you two are there. Everything will be so much better if you guys were here as well.”

Joohyun nodded, but kept her soft grin in place. “But papa and appa promised we will see each other often. We’ll get to do all those things together, onee-chan, and with our baby siblings, too. Don’t worry—remember? You said it when we were at the airport. We’ll find a way to make things work.”

Dahyun seemed to stirr from her wishful thinking and laughed with ease, throwing her arms around Joohyun and planting a mirthful smack on her cheek, which Joohyun received with a jolly huff. Baekhyun stepped back, heavy pieces of metal instead of his lungs, just in time for Chanyeol and Heechul to coincide behind him. The sight of the sunny giant made his heart ram against his ribcage, and it had his eyes watering.

“Where is our food?” Heechul said, crossing both arms and raising an eyebrow, and Chanyeol stared at him as if he had grown another head. “I sent you for it like an hour ago.”

“You texted me like five minutes ago. Literally five minutes ago”, the giant emphasized, taking his cellphone out and unlocking its screen to prove his statement. Heechul narrowed his cat-like eyes into a murderous glare, and Chanyeol turned a little sweaty. “I was about to leave with the girls, okay? It won’t take more than an hour.”

“Make it half”, he replied. “Bring ramen, please.”

“Baek, do you want anything in particular?” Chanyeol asked him once they were about to go, and Baekhyun hoped he looked as nonchalant as he wanted because his daughters had stopped to scrutinize him. “You craved mozzarella sticks with honey mustard and pineapple during your first pregnancy, so I was wondering...”

“That sounds like an interesting combination”, Joohyun politely offered when her sister, clearly disgusted, deformed her expression and muttered a subtle _yuck_.

Baekhyun blinked, nervously smiling. “Um, no, anything would be fine. I don’t think they’re picky yet—just don’t get me anything with egg, please. The smell is too strong.”

“There’s a really good ramen-ya down street, appa... they serve the best extra flavored ramen with the tastiest roast pork! And their miso soup is delicious”, Dahyun brightly said, gesturing towards the door. Chanyeol’s intense gaze lingered over him for a second longer before he followed his daughters out. Baekhyun felt his knees almost wobbling.

After they had left, Heechul decided to finish what his goddaughters did not. Baekhyun stood in the middle of Dahyun’s bed with the porcelain doll in his hands as Heechul efficiently crammed toy plushes, sporty tees, colorful Bohemian dresses and patterned sweaters inside a box. He had let Baekhyun stack the books, CDs and personal mementos over Dahyun’s desk, but he could find the motivation to get anything done.

“Now, you’re queerly quiet”, Heechul pointed out a few minutes later, opening a drawer with folded jeans, skirts and shorts from Dahyun’s closet, and carelessly dumped its contents in another cardboard box. After seeing the hour, he was in a hurry. “What did the stupid giant say to you?”

Baekhyun frowned, putting the doll away as he sat on the bed. “Nothing. He’s done nothing wrong. I’m just stressed out... The past twenty four hours had been a crazy roller coaster.”

“I see”, his friend distractedly hummed. He knew Heechul would rather torture him than accept such vague answer, hence he already expected the next question. “So, Baek... what’s going on? You’ve been acting...”, he trailed off, mentally looking for the proper adjective, “... peculiarly.”

“My life is falling apart, if you haven’t noticed”, Baekhyun bit his tongue when Heechul abruptly closed the drawer he was inspecting. “Heechul...”

“Are you going to be honest with me, or am I going to be forced to take the true out of you?” His best friend hissed and he crossed his arms over his chest. “I know this isn’t only about your grandparents being irrational, Baekhyun—we had foreseen an outcome like this a couple of years back, when Dahyun broke her wrist and your grandmother threatened to skin you alive if you ever got her hurt again. I told you they would lose it someday, didn’t I?” The smaller gripped the book he was reviewing, not answering. “I just... I can’t understand if it’s a result of your pregnancy, or if it has anything to do with you being single for the past nine years... or both.”

“What do you mean?”

“What are you expecting from Chanyeol, Baekhyun?” Heechul straightforwardly fired, tone sharp and unsparing, and the pregnant man dropped the book. His friend had the predator look of a snake. “Your eyes had that foolish, sick-in-love twinkle... You’re getting infauted again. So, as your most trustable friend, it’s my duty to get your head back from the clouds and ask you about your priorities and desires. Are you two trying to get back together?”

Baekhyun picked the volume from the floor and threw it harshly on the top of the heap his daughters had been building up. He felt aggraviated. “No, Heechul, we’re not getting back together—we’re merely trying to be diplomatic and do things appropiately for the sake of our children... Why can’t we be affable towards each other without people sticking their noses in our business? If we fight, people have something to say. If we get along, people _still_ have something to say. Why can’t you all stay out of our affairs?”

Heechul’s brow scrunched when he did not deny his assumption about his feelings.

“I’m looking out for you, Baekhyun. Chanyeol was the man that broke you apart ten years ago. He tainted a good part of your life... You’ll never get those years back”, he reminded him, which annoyed the smaller more because he was certainly aware of that. “I don’t want you to charge straight into heartbreak. It could cost you your happiness again.”

“I’m an adult, Heechul. I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself”, he said. “If I... I wanted to be with Chanyeol like that, I’d have done something already. But I know that’s an impossible pipe dream, not better than a delusion. I’m not stupid.”

“Stop lying to yourself, Baekhyun”, Heechul grunted when he perceived the barely audible tremble in his speech. He was feeling a little mad himself. “You’re probably thinking about running away from this place and going to Korea. That’s how you are—a hopeless romantic that didn’t really get over his first love. It seems you’ve gotten the best excuse for pursuing it.”

“Excuse me? I don’t like what you’re implying, Heechul—and, you know what?” Baekhyun snapped, raising the volume of his voice as the ire and vulnerability hurt his thoughts. “I’m actually thinking about returning to Korea. I was considering if I should look for another place to start over, out of my grandparents’ reach and all this senseless drama... and it just happens that my daughter yearns to live in the same country as her sister and father. So I thought, why not? What _else_ do I have to lose?” Heechul unsealed his lips to argue back, but Baekhyun did not allow it. His furious heartbeat made him dizzy and less inhibited. “I’d _not_ be running away. I’d be giving my homeland another shot, and I’d be trying to reconciliate with my past in the process. In fact, I was running away when I came here to Japan... or have you forgotten that? I’m not a saint. I broke Chanyeol just as much as he broke me—besides, if we ever wanted to give our marriage a second chance, what it’d have to do with you? Nothing, Heechul. Nothing!”

“That’s not a decision to make at the heat of the moment, Baekhyun. You need to calm down”, his friend said in a softer tone. 

“Calculating every possible outcome hasn’t worked for me, Heechul. I always miss some aftereffects, and things hardly flow as I desire”, Baekhyun remembered each time he had overthought to get a good overview, just for the events to follow a rather unexpected direction. “I’m tired of yielding my plans to excuses. Perhaps I need to be impulsive for once.”

“Baekhyun, you can’t be serious...”

“But I am!” He cried out loud, missing the telltale sounds of keys jingling and the main door creaking as it was pushed open. He was gone in his enraged episode. “Dahyun and I are leaving to South Korea, and there’s nothing you can do about it!”

They heard a loud, collective gasp.

Dahyun left Chanyeol’s side and rushed to grip Baekhyun’s shirt, watchful eyes shining as she looked up at him, making his pulse halt. “Really? Are we leaving with appa and Jojo?”

Baekhyun knew he had messed everything up again, but he blacked out before saying anything to amend it.


	9. Part IX

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: the chapter is long. I'd like if you read it all, but I think you can read ii, iv, vii, vii, x, xi, xii and xiii and you'll understand what's happening.  
> If you want to hear something while reading this, I highly recommed you to listen to She's Dreaming, Dream, Sing For You, For Life and Lucky.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it's finally here. I think this is the first baby I've ever finished, and I'm very thankful for your support. Like, seriously, this is like a shitty story to relief my chanbaek feelings and the fact that you liked it... well, it does mean a lot to me. So thank you for your patience, and for reading Decalcómanie. I hope we'll meet in some other story :3

**i.**

November during its last week was fiercely chilly, but Chanyeol somehow thought it was an ideal time to travel on a boat. Hence he had the guts to book them a deluxe cabin at a ferry from Osaka to Busan without giving him a single inkling about it.

“Are you serious about this?”, Baekhyun incredulously muttered as he studied the one-way tickets in his hands with narrowed eyes. He lifted his chin and beheld the sheepish smiles, and knew there was no deceptio behind it.

Joohyun was beaming. He could distinguish the same heartbreaking disposition Chanyeol had impregnated in his whole semblance, and it left him rather bewildered and speechless. It did not help his dilemma the fact that Dahyun nearly went flying to her room, filling a bag with her stuff, once they disclosed their intention. He could hear her animated shrieks from his spot and felt compelled to please her as well.

Undoubtedly, those three would be the end of him.

“Appa got a good deal from the airline and changed our flights for those tickets”, Joohyun’s knees were all jittering as she sat close to her carrier, her delightful grin stretching so widely it called Baekhyun to lean over and kiss her temple with nothing but adoration. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it, papa? Appa and I will help you in Korea. We promise.”

“Pinky promise!” Dahyun chimmed in.

“It’s very convenient that Jongin’s cousin is part of the executive team”, Chanyeol added, looking a bit softened, and Baekhyun thought he should kiss him. The hormones, he inwardly claimed. “So, Baek... what do you think? I know your doctor said your second trimester has begun, so we’re mostly safe from miscarriage risks.”

“For now”, the pregnant man asserted in a sharp warning, but Chanyeol was not fazed. He lowered his gaze to the tickets, peeling his lip with his teeth. “This is quite unexpected...”

Chanyeol had taken Joohyun with him after his obstetrician-andrologist had come for a home visit and his edgy behavior had raised Baekhyun’s suspicions for a moment, but he had disregarded the matter as irrelevant. He would have never imagined that Chanyeol would show up at Heechul’s doorstep with a voucher a few days later, telling him to pack lightly because they were leaving in a couple of days.

Since his intuition found no compelling reason to oppose, and leaving felt like the right choice, he assented.

(Of course, Baekhyun first scolded him for spending money so carelessly when they were supposed to be saving in the first place, but broke in the middle of his censuring and clung to Chanyeol’s neck, weeping as he thanked him again and again).

As a consequence, Baekhyun copied Chanyeol’s reckless attitude. He ended quitting his job and relied on a Heechul to sort Dahyun’s school papers out. He crammed the most necessary items into a pair of old suitcases, and had his last appointment in Japan. His authorized him to travel, enumerating a few recommendations and forbiding him from participating in some activities on board. He hoped all the favorable data he was sending him off with would stay in the positive side until the high-risk ob Chanyeol had contacted surveyed his case.

He stayed in the guest room of Heechul’s apartment by himself until their departure since Dahyun and Joohyun were with Chanyeol at the hotel. In his passing solitude during the eve of the events, he felt the painful waves of homesickness hitting him hard, and desired to go back with an unknown gravity for him.

He sat in front of the boxes that were to be shipped, looking at the messy scrawls on their hard faces, when Heechul entered and dropped himself beside him.

“I’m not bidding you farewell at the port tomorrow”, was what he said. Heechul’s exterior was serene and impassive, but Baekhyun could easily read the woefulness in his lost eyes. “I refuse to support your nonsense.”

“I had a feeling you wouldn’t show up”, Baekhyun replied with a smile. His own orbs were glassy and nostalgic when he talked. “You complained about everything I asked for today, and pestered the girls with foolish pranks like there is no tomorrow. Is that your way of saying goodbye, hyung? You’re generally bolder than that.”

His friend did not answer.

“They’ll understand... They’re smart”, Baekhyun commented after minutes in silence. Heechul remained as unimpressive as a stone, apparently emotionless and inert. “I’m sorry for upsetting you, I truly am... But I’ve made up my mind about this. I hope you can accept it and forgive me for disappointing you like this.”

Another agonizing stillness, and his friend unfolded his legs to stand up. He halted midway and hovered over him, slowly pressing his forehead against Baekhyun’s head. The smaller risked a faint smile at the tender, confidential touch.

“If that stupid giant breaks your heart or if he hurts my goddaughters in any way, I’m going to chop his precious nuts. Remember that I’m just a call away”, Heechul told him, and a relived sigh rushed past his dry lips. “Go to sleep already—it’s late, you’re pregnant and an eighteen hours trip awaits for you. You need the rest.”

“Still not going tomorrow?” Baekhyun asked him before he exited the room.

Heechul simply smirked, “nah. Goodbyes at ports are too cliché.”

* * *

**ii.**

The first compromise in their agenda was meeting Baekhyun’s new doctor. That particular morning felt colder than the forecast had indicated, and Chanyeol noticed how the gloomy weather of Busan impacted Baekhyun; his bearing was groggy and lethargic, and he was too brainscattered. Regardless how his skin was more ghostlike- white than snowy, and how his eyes were red and glazed over with fatigue, Chanyeol thought he still looked as bewitching and beautiful as ever.

It was supposed to be a routine checkup, nothing out of the regular physical examination, pertinent blood tests and ultrasound. Their perky girls had tagged along, and he had promised them they would look for a Christmas tree to decorate after they were done with it.

Zhang Yixing, Baekhyun’s high-risk obstetrician, was a wonderful professional. He was emphatetic and gentle. Dahyun and Joohyun fell in love with him instantly, and it did not take more than a few minutes into the protocol interrogation for Baekhyun to be enchanted as well. It was just Yixing’s thing to cast spells in people without efforts.

When he stared long and hard at the screen, they knew something was off. He kept reviewing the output of Baekhyun’s first standard ultrasound with a deep, contemplative frown.

“You said you’re expecting twins...” He moved around, watchful eyes sharpening as they analyzed the two-dimensions reproduction. He took his glasses off and cleaned them with his cloth, trading the pensiveness in his demeanor for a private surprise. “Well, Chanyeol-sshi, Baekhyun-sshi, I must say this is a first for me... I’ve met patients and colleagues who had heard about cases like yours, but I was quite sceptic. After all, it’s hard to believe this type of slips could occur when technology has advanced with such precision...”

“What do you mean?” Baekhyun whispered, his face losing color as Yixing scribbled something down. Both Dahyun and Joohyun stepped closer to their father, asking him what was happening. “Is anything wrong?”

Chanyeol’s heart thundered. The morose shadow looming over Baekhyun’s aspect worsened.

“So, I don’t see twins... but, hey, take a look for yourself”, he montioned different spots in the screen, visually indistinct among all that black-and-white medley, and Chanyeol and Baekhyun scrunched their noses when they could not identify whatever he was pointing. “Hey, it’s not your first pregnancy... can’t you see the shapes?”

“Would I look this distressed if I could see whatever you want me to see?” Baekhyun countered, frustrated. Yixing gave him a look, but the smaller did not seem regretful.

“Are the babies alright?” Dahyun and Joohyun asked simultaneously.

The doctor displayed a thoughtful smile for them. “Don’t get worked up, please. Your doctor made a very rare mistake—I admit I’d have not suspected much if the heartbeats hadn’t seemed off... it’s plausible they share the same placenta and he simply missed it by their position”, he realized he had rambled and apologized with a reverent inclination of the head. “Baekhyun, your pregnancy is indeed of multiples, but they’re not just two. Go ahead, count them.”

Dahyun dragged Joohyun closer to the screen, and Yixing patted their beanies when they tried to count the confusing shadows.

Baekhyun mumbled in a parched voice. “I—oh... Oh, Don’t tell me... tri-triplets?”, he creaked out.

“Let it be three”, Chanyeol silently prayed, liking Baekhyun’s hand with his to share strenght. His palms were sweaty.

Yixing shook his head, denying it in leisurely manner. Chanyeol felt his pulse sky-rocketing. “Close enough. You’re expecting quadruplets—a surprising outcome considering your circumstances. Congratulations.”

Baekhyun was too aghast to blink, terror brimming his entire mind as the words sank, most of his previous plans going down with them.

_Four? Four babies?! What the hell are we supposed to do with four babies?!_

“That’s a baby for each one of us!” Dahyun exclaimed in a slighted accentuated Korean, and it was like wake-up call for her parents, specially for Chanyeol. His blood stopped flowing inside his veins as Joohyun mouthed something in his direction.

“Oh my God!”

Chanyeol felt vertiginous as Baekhyun whimpered from the passing shock and budding panic, and the sounds and lights mixed in a blurring chaos for his overtaxed senses. The drastic bustle of emotions knockned him off. The last thing he remembered seeing was the terrified semblance of his daughters when he fell over, barely holding onto consciousness.

* * *

**iii.**

Chanyeol lied wide awake in the living room the following nights, the comfy surface of the sofabed not being enough temptation to fall asleep. He could not stop replaying Yixing’s words about the inescapble early delivery, the possibly gestional diabetes and high blood-pressure for Baekhyun’s health record, and the high percetange of miscarriage and genetic disorders. It all served him a migraine (that, and he had hit his head quite badly when he fainted).

Baekhyun exited Chanyeol’s room around midnight, checked his daughters on Joohyun’s bedroom and strode inside the kitchen for a glass of water. He was not careful of making noises because he knew that Chanyeol was just as tormented and insomniac as he was. It was his reason to leave the room in the first place.

He accomodated his heavy body by the edge of Chanyeol’s pseudo-bed and looked deeply in the restless eyes. Baekhyun was not sure how he should feel about their monumental discovery, and the best solution his mind seemed to come up with was curling in a ball and crying until he passed out. He remorsefully thought he would get enough of that if he made it through his pregnancy.

“Baek, Yixing said—”, Chanyeol sat up, alarmed to see him out of bed and not properly slumbering, yet the smaller’s apprehensive and trembling eyes stole the rest of the sentence. “... Never mind. Aren’t you cold? It’s freezing outside.”

He took the other’s fingers in a warm grasp and pecked the knuckles with a secret devotion, kind gaze lingering on the burgeoging belly that housed four developing babies. He could not even begin to imagine how terrified Baekhyun must have been at the moment, after hearing everything that could go wrong.

“It’s okay. People have quadruplets more often than what you think. We must stick to Yixing’s instructions and everything will be fine”, he reassured him. Baekhyun spaced out, going painfully mute. Chanyeol had rarely seen him like that before. “Please, don’t stress over it—is no good for you, nor for the babies. I’ll help you all the way, okay? I’m here, Baek. You’re not alone.”

Baekhyun pinned an unnerving gaze on his expression. A seconds later, he opened his arms for a hug and Chanyeol wordlessly complied, a bit surprised by the forward move. Before the jarring silence settled in, the taller spoke about the funny trivialities his employees did, and revoked good moments from the couple of roadtrips he had taken alongside Joohyun and his friends. However, nothing seemed to work to ease Baekhyun’s overworked brain, to cleanse the fog plastered over his eyes.

Chanyeol was desperate enough, so he guided the pregnant male to the master bedroom and anxiously closed the door behind them. He left an absent Baekhyun over the side he used to occupy when they shared a bed during their marriage, and went to retrive his old acoustic guitar from his closet to sit beside him.

His instrument used to make him recall everything that went wrong with his former husband. When they were dating and Baekhyun’s parents got him all sorrowful and miserable, Chanyeol used to hearten him with spontaneous serenades. He played even when his fingers hurt to the point of numb pain, and did not stop until Baekhyun sang along with him. He was set on doing that tonight as well.

The smaller looked awfully staggered when the guitar came to sight, but kept his reverent silence as Chanyeol experimentally tuned and strummed the chords, rusty talent awakening as electric vibrations upsurged through his long fingers. He blew a nervous sigh and hummed to himself, reciting the lyrics of the first melody that came back.

“ _Deep in the night when even the stars fall asleep, the lonely Moon rises... It softly comes down from to the windowsill and shines on you and lets you dream while you sleep..._ ”

Baekhyun sat there like a statue, straight posture so rigid and unyielding it made Chanyeol mentally wince. But his eyes undisclosed thousands truths, and most explicit message was his genuine gratitude. As the harmonies hurried from Chanyeol’s memories to their present, one more precise and flagrant than others, he kept the act up.

Baekhyun’s eyelids had fallen shut at some point, and he cherished the moment and the kindness in Chanyeol’s heart.

Chanyeol had no idea how many pieces he had vocalized when he remembered a particular duet, one of Baekhyun’s favorites. He hesitated before letting his fingers work his magic, bass voice a little rough for the troublesome emotion it gave him.

“ _You are beautiful just as you were yesterday... No, you’re more beautiful than you were yesterday. When I say something like this, you always change subjects, pretending you didn’t hear anything..._ ”

He had every intention of going through the verses by himself, but it became pointless when the other appropiated the next segment with his heartwarming, liquid voice. Baekhyun had not lost his magnificent touch.

“ _I had really sweet dreams yesterday. I don’t want to tell you now because I’m too shy... And also it’s known not very good to tell someone this kind of thing... Dream that I can never have again, that was really sweet. I think you are just like the dream..._ ”

Their midnight dates at the small park on Baekhyun’s neighborhood, their unplanned trips to the capital whenever Baekhyun was feeling lonely, their scapades to that secret corner near the lake after Chanyeol’s family parties...

And just like that, Baekhyun’s smile returned. Perhaps it was small and quivering, but it was a good progress for Chanyeol.

The smaller checked the hour and the date, and chuckled. “Happy birthday, Yeol...”

(Their daughters, who had been listening through the walls, wholeheartedly cheer for the same cause).

* * *

**iv.**

Saturdays were grocery shopping day by default, and Joohyun had persuaded them to visit a Homeplus in Seomyeon that day. There was a traditional restaurant that served her favorite marinated beef ribs in the area and she wanted Dahyun to try them. Apparently, Momo and Joohyun had something like a bet about Dahyun’s tastes going on.

Chanyeol knew the kind of places she liked to frequent, thus the least he expected was meeting her over there.

They separated five minutes after arriving, Baekhyun entrusting their diligent Joohyun with the grocery shopping list. His ex-husband gingerly pulled Dahyun towards the scalators, reminding her they had been talking about adding some Christmas ornaments to the Park’s collection. For Chanyeol, it was rather entertaining to watch them advance in a snaillike pace amidst the hectic crowd; Baekhyun’s 17-weeks stomach looked like a huge melon, and Dahyun dramatically pretended to be woozy from hunger so he would slow down.

“Papa, this is not a race! You have to take it easy!” She exclaimed when they were in the upper floor. Chanyeol and Joohyun could not prevent the giddy smiles on their faces as people confusedly for the scandalous source.

Chanyeol trailed after his daughter with their shopping cart, helping her to pick the best-looking vegetables and fruits, doing hilarious imitations of advertisements they had seen in TV. Nowadays Joohyun seemed so thrilled doing mundane things like this, and Chanyeol could perfectly understand the main reason behind her private bliss.

Living together with Baekhyun and Dahyun was amazing. He thought they would have troubles getting their routines in synchro, but their habits had attuned to co-exist without any radical effort, fitting like pieces of the same puzzle. Not even a month had passed since their arrival, and yet Chanyeol sappily felt like they had belonged together all their lives.

Waking up to mornings of Baekhyun and Joohyun’s dulcet singing and Dahyun’s occasional rap was phenomal—even those days when they tried to cook breakfast without him, only to got distracted until it had completedy burned to waste. Returning home to play board games or watch movies after a homemade dinner was just as grand and magical.

Being with Joohyun had always been the hightlight of his days, and with the addition of Baekhyun and Dahyun, his glee had been trippled. (It did not really matter that the smaller man was either an hyperactive mess or a depression wreck more often than not).

“What’s next, lil princess?” Chanyeol eyed their cart, abundant in edibles rich in minerals and vitamins, and chuckled to himself. He was sure he had never seen so many green plants in their dishes as he had in the past weeks. “Your papa is quite good with this diet thing—Yifan said even I look healthier.”

Joohyun picked a watermelon and struggled with its weight, her feet clumping on the ground. Her constipated frown had Chanyeol roaring in amusement, and if it had not been for the glare of an old lady passing by, it would have taken him ages to steal the fruit from her and leave it on their cart.

“My teacher says that having one baby is extremely hard, thus four babies is four times the challenge”, Joohyun played with the hem of her white shirt and Chanyeol’s smile softened; he loved the golden Matata inscription and Pumbaa’s silouhette on it since it matched Dahyun’s Hakuna-Timon one. Again, it was Sehun’s welcoming present. “We must take care of papa.”

Chanyeol’s heart swelled in pure joy as he pinched Joohyun’s cheek. She pouted, but quickly returned his grin. “Of course, lil princess.”

Someone tapped the floor behind them and Chanyeol’s smile faltered the instant he recognized the noisy shoes.

“I knew it was your laughter... As boisterous and indiscreet as always, Chanyeol”, the light scold of his mother was evident, even when he was not seeing directly.

He brought Joohyun closer to his side and turned to cordially greet her.

“It’s been a while, omma”, he said in a rather terse tone. “I thought appa and you would travel overseas for Christmas.”

He had not seen his mother in over a month, almost two. Joohyun’s guileless tongue slip during her benefitial concert informed his mother about Baekhyun’s pregnancy. They fought, had a drastic disagreement, and he left with Joohyun to Japan. He had not spoken to her ever since.

Her scowl was deep when she inspected Joohyun. Baekhyun had fixed her hair in a messy bun with a polka-dots bow that went well with her knitted cardigan and small boots. If she had found out that Dahyun was around, which was most-likely the case, she had her reasons to mistrust her eyes.

“Joohyunnie?” She tried. When her granddaughter nodded with an uncertain smile, his mother’s expression turned pissed off. “What have they done to your beautiful hair? And that distateful shirt... You look like a sleazy girl. It was that man, wasn’t it?”

His daughter cowered behind him, not used to be the end receiver of her grandmonther’s vicious humor.

“Omma, please... She looks great. Don’t start a pointless discussion.”

“You think my concern over my granddaughter’s welfare it’s pointless... how outrageous”, she snapped back and Chanyeol felt Joohyun shrinking against his lower back.

He was quite astonished that his mother would exploe in front of the girl, and in public place.

Some people stared as she went on. “He’s a bad influence for her, Chanyeol—and clearly for you, too. I heard he’s been living in your apartment for weeks now and it deeply concerns me that you have allowed such aberrancy...”

He sighed.

“...and I had to find out through your cousin because you’re suddenly so busy with your life, you lack spare time to recall everything we imparted you about filial piety. First, you refuse to call me because of him, and you now hide this from me... He’s putting you against your own mother. How can you be so blind?”

Chanyeol’s temples ached. Joohyun was trembling, fists grasping his jacket.

“Jojo, what’s next on the list?” He muttered, ignoring his mother’s flaring eyes as he slid a soft pat over his daughter’s crown. She uttered her response, nervous eyes glistening under the lights of the supermarket. “Go ahead and get them. I’ll have a few words with your halmeoni in the meantime.”

Joohyun vacilated, but pecked her father’s cheek, bowed and fled.

“Now, omma, please don’t push Joohyun through that kind of discomfort”, he began, as respectful as he could genuinely be. “She’s ten years old. She doesn’t need that.”

“What did you call her before? Jojo?” She was more displeased as she repeated the nickname to herself, and Chanyeol groaned in equal exasperation. “That man is brainwashing you.”

“Omma, for God’s sake...”, Chanyeol inhaled and inwardly counted to ten to placate his tempted fury.

“Why are you welcoming him in your life again? Don’t tell me you’re not—”, she paused, looking horror-struck. “You’re sleeping together. I swear to God you haven’t learned anything, son.”

“Omma, I didn’t tell you anything about our situation because I knew you’d get mad, and the last thing I need right now is to deal with more pressure”, and your nagging, his mother gasped and virtually threw daggers at him, but he was not affected by her moral manipulation. “And while I’m sorry for that, I’m not apologizing for welcoming Baekhyun and Dahyun under my roof. He’s expecting my children and she’s my daughter, so it’s natural to take care of them because they’re my responsibility”, he stepped closer to her mother, his towering presence somehow terrifying even when he was trying to look as affable as possible. “I love you, omma, but if you treat Dahyun or Baekhyun with less respect than they deserve, I’ll have to ask you to stay away from your grandchildren.”

His mother’s eyes were brimmed with arrogant tears as Chanyeol left a goodbye kiss on her cheek, and he felt the shame of a rotten son pouring down his conscience as he had anticipated. However, he had promised himself he would prioritize Baekhyun’s needs as well as his daughters’ over everything else.

If his mother had the mindset to jeopardize their stability, he would have to cut her off.

“What has he done to you?” The betrayal was noticeable in her quivering murmur. “I’ve always known he would be hurdle. He’s a problematic child with tasteless values and poor class—why are you putting him first over your own mother, Chanyeol? He’s not good enough for you. You deserve much better.”

Chanyeol gave her a pitiful once-over. She was shaking.

“Omma, Baekhyun is perfect. It’s a shame you’re too blinded by your own prejudices that you can’t appreciate how fantastic he truly is... He’s always been more than enough. I think it’s me who’s never deserved a wonderful person like him, and now I see I should’ve put him first a long time ago.”

His mother clasped her purse and set her lips in a taunt line. She was silent for a moment, like Chanyeol’s confession had destroyed her train of thoughts.

Then, “I’d like to know when my grandchildren are born—call your father then”, she haughtly ordered, though her expression looked green.

His son, knowing it was the best response he could get from her, nodded. “Please, tell appa to be prepared. Baekhyun and I are expecting quadruplets.”

His mother’s face was priceless; jaw barely dropping, wide eyes clearly taken aback. When she regained a bit of control over her deporment, she hastily abandoned the section, as standoffish and self-conceited as she could be in such circumstances.

Chanyeol could not contain his laughter when she crossed paths with the girl whose physical traits were exactly like Joohyun’s. His mother seemed hesitant as she studied the two little buns on her head, the thick trench overcoat around her Hakuna shirt, and her tall boots.

His mother was polite enough to acknowledge her with a slow nod before accelerating her pace and leaving his bewildered daughter behind.

“Appa, what happened with grandma?” She asked him.

“I’m sorry she’s being like that. It’s not her best day... What do you have there, princess?”

“There are four our babies! A reindeer, a snowman, an elf and a bear!”, she showed him the four Christmas stockings they had gotten. She let them and some boxes in the cart before hopping in, securing herself in front.

She sheepishly smiled at Chanyeol’s knowing grin.

“They’re beautiful”, he quickly pushed the cart with her on it, much to Dahyun’s delight. They scoured the section, but did not see either Joohyun or Baekhyun in the perimeter. “Where is your papa, princess?”

“He was going to rest over one of the benches of the mall—his feet hurt. Didn’t he come to you? He said he will tell you first.”

Less than a minute later, he found Baekhyun with Joohyun around a long tower of cereal boxes, and they had similar enraptured smiles as Baekhyun tickled her by the ribs.

“What’s going on?”

“Appa!” Joohyun exclaimed, startled.

“I’ll cook dinner tonight”, the smaller winked at Chanyeol and Dahyun gasped. He felt his ear shells burn red when Baekhyun’s dainty fingers hung on his bicep. The pregnant male was glowing. “What would you like, Yeol?”

He gulped under his daughters’ expectating eyes. “Well, is-is your mul-naegmyeon as delicious as it was years ago?”

“Mm, I don’t know... We could find out”, he replied and his tone had a flirtatous candence. Then, his mischiveous grin turned softer and he spun around to interlace his fingers with Joohyun.

Chanyeol was left dumdfounded as Baekhyun and Joohyun took the lead with the grocery list, blinking in astonishment.  _What just happened?_

“Appa, we’re being left behind!” Dahyun pointed out and he scrambled to move the shopping cart.

* * *

**v.**

Chanyeol and the girls were downtown, shopping, when Kyungsoo visited him.

“Aren’t you shameless?” He fired as soon as Baekhyun left him inside, telling him that Chanyeol and the girls were not home.

“Excuse me?” The pregnant man frowned. Chanyeol’s friend had the ability to make him feel small and insignificant, which was ironic because they were the same height and he had a stomach triple in size.

Kyungsoo stared, lips twisted downwards and eyes darkening. “You amaze me, Baekhyun... First, you’re all bitchy and rude to Chanyeol at the hospital, then you two hook up and you pretend to be somewhat decent, only to allow your unstable character to fuck things up again. And if that wasn’t enough, you get pregnant and come here to leech from him—seriously, what a nasty bloodsucker. Didn’t you get enough satisfaction from ruining his life a decade ago?”

Baekhyun breathed in, pressing his tottering feet into the floor to ground his anxiety. Be an example was his mantra.

“Look, Kyungsoo... Chanyeol’s a rational, fully capable adult who makes decisions for himself. Dahyun and I staying here was his decision, and you should respect it”, Baekhyun retorted. “I’m not a freeloader. I’m paying my part of the expenses. I’d appreciate if you saved your falses assumptions for yourself.”

“Chanyeol is paying like sixty percent of everything though, so don’t tell me you’re not a fucking leech”, Kyungsoo vituperated.

Baekhyun wanted to respond that Chanyeol was adamant on easing things for him since he was jobless, but it did not seem like Kyungsoo would understand that it was just a temporary arragement. He had savings to cover Dahyun’s expenses and keep him afload for the meantime, and would pay Chanyeol back when he started working again.

“—I mean, four babies, and you don’t even have a job, Baekhyun. What the hell were you thinking? Oh, wait, I know”, he sardonically smirked. “ _‘Let’s take advantage of naïve Chanyeol, since he seems to have regained some control over his life for once and I can’t allow that’_ , or something along those lines”, he spat and Baekhyun’s own gaze hardened out of spite.

Protesting would be the fastest way to rile the other more and Baekhyun was not in the mood for that, not even to prove how wrong he was.

“You don’t deserve Chanyeol’s selflessness and loyalty—we can’t even be one hundred percent sure that you’re expecting his babies. For all we know, you got pregnant during a careless one night stand-”

Baekhyun punched him. A swift, foolhardy and clean punch. Glistening drops slowly skidded over the curve of his flushed cheeks, and Kyungsoo’s owlish eyes broadened when he caught the raw despondency in Baekhyun’s fleeting unguarded look. The pregnant male was quick to build his brave facade back, but the subtle trembling in his curvy body was enough to leave Kyungsoo speechless for a moment.

“Get out”, Baekhyun said, clipped and rash. Kyungsoo’s throat closed up as he shook his head, stubborn to the very last. “Kyungsoo, I’m asking you to get out.”

“This is not your apartment”, he stated as fixed as possible. “I’m staying.”

“Leave”, Baekhyun clumsily walked to the other end of the living room, back pressed against the glass doors of the balcony. “I want you out of my sight. Leave!”

“Answer me, and then I’ll go”, Kyungsoo bargained after a lapse of suspense. “So?” .

Baekhyun eyed the reddish color tainting half of Kyungsoo’s face and sighed in dejection. He disappeared to retrieve a cold gel pack and Kyungsoo wordlessly accepted it.

The icy relief seemed to ease part of his psychological stress and burning hostility.

His tone was more affable, “I mean, you dissapear for ten years and return to Chanyeol when you happen to be pregnant... I must say that I’m not sorry for my prejudices because that sounds awfully suspicious. He’s gotten enough shit already.”

“I understand your reasons to be wary...”, Baekhyun said, deflating when he realized Kyungsoo was linking him to Sooyoung’s doings. “But I’m not a parasite.”

“Then, Baekhyun? What do you want?”

“Kyungsoo, Yeol—Chanyeol is not a baby. He and I sat down to talk about all of this...”, he signaled his growing stomach, blushing when Kyungsoo’s gaze tarried in it longer than necessary,“...and we decided it’d be better if we stayed together until I’ve safely delivered them. Being roommates eases things for us while I regulate my situation... I wanted a new beginning.”

Kyungsoo stared at the other’s pensive expression for another minute, and his eyes briefly moved south to the notorious stomach.

He quietly pointed out, “you look like there’s another reason haunting you, but I don’t think I’m at any place to ask further... I’ll find out eventually.”

Kyungsoo aplied force to his swelling cheek and commented how beautiful their Christmas tree looked that year, and how jolly the atmosphere of the apartment was. After a while, they heard the doorbell. Baekhyun found a flushed Jongin opening the unlocked door, momentarily mesmerized by his captivating glow.

“He’s here, isn’t he?” He quickly accused. He stepped inside, carefully eyeing the entryway. “Kyungsoo, I told you to let Baekhyun alone—he’s pregnant, for the love of God. You don’t bully pregnant people.”

There was a serenity in Kyungsoo’s steady gaze that made Baekhyun’s skin tingle as he strut with feline confidence. He had never seen happy-go-lucky Jongin so angry, hellbent mad and fumming, and yet Kyungsoo overlooked it as one would do with a spoiled child throwing a mindless tantrum.

“It was nice seeing you, Baekhyun”, Kyungsoo said.

“Likewise...”, he shook the extended hand, cautious.

Kyungsoo blinked, “I still don’t like you and I can hardly trust you. I hope you’re aware that if you hurt Joohyun, Dahyun or Chanyeol with your stunts, I’m going to make you regret it.”

Jongin groaned before gently dragging him out. Baekhyun’s eyes unwillingly lingered on their touch. “I’m sorry for the trouble, Baekhyun. Soo can be unreasonable when he’s worried. Don’t pay attention to him—you’ll come to our dinner, so he’ll cook special dishes to make it up for this.”

Before leaving, Kyungsoo’s expression adopted a courteous, heart-shaped smile. “Good luck, Baekhyun. You should tell Chanyeol soon.”

Baekhyun smiled, not really knowing what to say to that. _What does that even mean?_

“What happened to your cheek?” He overheard Jongin inquiring as he closed the door behind them. “You know what? Don’t tell me... You deserved it, didn’t you? I told you, you don’t terrorize pregnant people and assume they won’t get hysterical. You’re lucky Baekhyun didn’t hurl glass or ceramic at you, Soo... Aish.”

He was giggling as he shuffled towards his room, where he slept for another two hours until his family came back.

* * *

**vi.**

They assisted dressed up in Holiday sweaters to Kyungsoo’s dinner on Christmas Eve. Chanyeol and Baekhyun served the twins plentiful food, chanted along to the off-tune carols and exchanged presentes with the lively group of childish uncles. Their girls mostly received toys and clothes, plus an enviable mansion dollhouse from Yifan that had them swooning for the rest of the evening, and also sparked a ludicrous rivarly within the non-related adults.

“Come on! That’s a low move, Yifan”, Luhan hooted as Sehun nodded by his side, both of them pouting as Dahyun and Joohyun squealed upon confirming what the dollhouse included. “You don’t use money to buy love—that’s like Christmas number one rule.”

“Love isn’t a vendible good. I use money to purchase merchandise that finally gets me the emotional appreciation we so call love”, he said and his friends rolled their eyes. “That’s different, so I don’t get your point.”

“It’s their turn. Bring Baekhyun and dumb Yeol their presents”, Kyungsoo ordered to the lazy couple on the couch and the standing Yifan, interrupting their bickering.

Two double Snap-and-Go strollers were rolled in by Sehun and Yifan as Luhan, with his manly antlers and notorious Rudpolh nose, joyfully exhaled a ‘ _ta-dá!_ ’.

“How did you know we wanted these?”’ Baekhyun wondered in awe. “Oh God—these are the doctor’s recommendation.”

“Kyungsoo stole a list he found in your apartment the other day”, Jongin shamefully explained, though the culprit looked rather proud of his accomplishment. “It’s good that we’re all irresponsible uncles who left their Christmas shopping for the last minute—we took some ideas from it. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh my...” Baekhyun’s hands were trembling as they returned said piece of papar with crucial items crossed out. He smiled in excitement. “Thank you so much!”

Chanyeol was as even more taken aback than Baekhyun when the girls peered into the car seats of the strollers, and picked a colorful, fold-over duffle bag for ‘day trips’ and a beautiful backpack-diaper bag that had Baekhyun tearing up a little.

“Okay, Kyungsoo forewarned me to stick to a prize limit, or he said I’d be castrated otherwise. Those things aren’t cheap, so...”, Chanyeol yanked Sehun and Jongin back, careful to escape Baekhyun’s hearing range. “It’s not that I don’t like them, but... why? You’re usually less generous—”

“More modest”, Sehun corrected him.

“—with presents.”

Baekhyun silently cleaned some tears as Kyungsoo presented him two bottle warmers and a shiny microwave sterilizer taken from Jongin’s monthly budget, and Chanyeol’s entire brain short-circuited when his ex-husband hugged the other midget as if they had been long time friends. Kyungsoo did not even look deadly annoyed, just pleased and unusually caring.

The giant frowned. “Seriously, what’s up with you guys?”

“It’s a Christmas miracle, hyung”, Sehun said, sipping his glass of wine, and Chanyeol stared at him as if he had spoken Chinese. Sehun elbowed Jongin to snap him out of his daydreaming.

“Soo went from Grinch mode to having the size of Santa’s heart over night, and convinced us to help you guys with all of this”, he muttered, second glass almost empty as he skillfully tippled in his holiday mood. “He even threatened Kris if he didn’t cooperate... I think he doesn’t hate Baekhyun that much anymore.”

“Oh”, and as Baekhyun beamed looking at their new stuff, he found himself smiling along. “That’s good.”

During New Year, Chanyeol’s parents invited them to a formal soirée, but the pregnant male had not been feeling chipper and they skipped it. The girls wore a pair of frilly dresses that night and Baekhyun subjected them to an improvised photo-shoot until Chanyeol’s banquet was set. They perfomed ad-lib for their girls until the year last seconds dissolved, welcoming the new year in a family hug with thousand kisses, dorky laughter and hopeful wishes.

Baekhyun accompanied Chanyeol as the other finished a bottle of wine by himself. A drunk Chanyeol used to be hilarious when they were on their twenties, with his tipsy monologues about adopting elephants and baby wolves as a worldwide trend. However, the inebriated thirty-three Chanyeol of that night befuddled Baekhyun when he confessed he had almost thrown their wedding bands into the sea. Out of nowhere.

“I found you had left yours behind... So I went to the beach this really, really cold night and stood by the shoreline with the little box in my fist... I thought about throwing them away, but I couldn’t. God, _I couldn’t_ ”, he hiccuped, and Baekhyun felt suffocated as he removed the glass from his wobbly fingers. “I couldn’t lift my arm and pitch! I returned home and hid them, just in case you came back and we loved each other...”, he slurred before finally passing out.

Baekhyun had cried himself to sleep.

* * *

**vii.**

January and February were the quickest months to pass, and Baekhyun was in his glorious twenty-five weeks, with the bulbous shape of a manatee. The girls’ Spring vacation started, and Sehun and Luhan borrowed them for an improptu trip to Seoul.

Baekhyun was downright anxious to be alone with Chanyeol. He did not know how he would behave.

After overhearing Chanyeol withstanding his mother’s unrelenting words, Baekhyun strangely felt at peace with himself, as if a ghost from his past had succumbed to eternal rest. He was not entirely happy that Chanyeol and his mother were in hostile terms, but his common-sensical thirst for justice was sated at last. From that point onwards, he viewed everything under a new enlightenment. And it was great.

He appreciated Chanyeol’s constant gestures and strove to repay him with candid gratitude: assisting him in the kitchen while he cooked, taking care of Dahyun and Joohyun’s homework before he got home, preparing him relaxing baths after stressful work days and trying to grapple with his overall uneasiness and his practice contractions in a less dramatic way (which was easier said than done).

Baekhyun knew he was behaving like a decade ago, when he paid close attetion to what Chanyeol required and gladly supported him. At first, he thought it was his means of recompensating him for his sedulous work and all the sacrifices he had undergone to accomodate them in their lives. But, when his wholehearted smiles became more frequent whenever Chanyeol was around, appearing with eerie ease and naturality, denying everything Heechul had told him became a daily thing for him.

They fit together even better than before. Joking and doing stupid stuff as his partner in crime was quite enjoyable, because their humor did not seem popular; they once called Kyungsoo at midnight to tell him he was such a good uncle, and received an adorable dead threat that had them doubling over in laughter. Baekhyun specially loved their three in the morning tête-à-têtes, when his daughters were fast asleep and he found the courage to admit his fears about the pregnancy and the possible aftermath, and Chanyeol opened to him about his own concerns.

Sometimes, they sang together as well, and he felt he was in heaven.

After they had first felt their babies kicking him breathless and Chanyeol had looked at him with nothing but devotion and euphoria, he knew it he was falling hard for the other again. Their dormant love had been awoken and had enthralled him without efforts.

His heart did not flutter or stop out of distress, but kept moving with promising happiness. And suddenly, Baekhyun realized wishing for Chanyeol to return to his arms and stay there as his life-partner was not a new phenomenon.

“It surprised me that you allowed them to go without protests”, Chanyeol said as he entered the living room with a bowl of natural popcorn. Baekhyun was in the couch, staring at his nails like they were the most interesting thing in the world. “I hope they don’t drive them crazy. They can be very wild together, and more now than ever.”

“They won’t... Jojo is there to tame Dada, pretty much like Momo did when we were in Otaki”, Baekhyun softly answered, and his companion nodded with a lovely grin. “Besides, Luhan said he wanted to ‘practice’—if they’re serious about getting children, it’s good for them to try out the twins-pack experience. It does prepare you for anything.”

“Even for quadruplets?”

Chanyeol sat beside him and instantly turned to soothe his aching stomach by petting it. Their squad tended to be active at night and the touch of their father never failed to calm them down. However, Chanyeol’s ministrations did not ever end there. He usually left his greedy hands wander around, massaging his shoulders, arms and hands to get him relaxed and content. And, if that was not enough to torture Baekhyun, he would peck his forehead, thank him for making him a father again and nuzzle his finger tips and the insides of his wrists just because he could.

That night was not different. Chanyeol was his typical touchy-feely self, showering him with upmost care as he keaned his fingers and framed questions about his day. Normally, Baekhyun would be unstoppably chitchatty, but his pregnant-brain reigned, and it desired a serious conversation.

“Yeol?” He muttered, pocking the other on his cheek.

They were watching The Boy with the Striped Pajamas. The giant seemed utterly destroyed already and barely ten minutes had passed since the movie started.

Baekhyun crossed his arms, “I saw Sooyoung today... She’s pregnant.”

It did the trick to conquer his attention. The giant violently sat up and swiftly grasped Baekhyun’s hand, keeping it inside a fastened clasp. He almost threw the popcorn bowl off his lap, so Baekhyun put it away.

“I’ve not seen her in months—I’ve not been with her that way in years. I swear they’re not mine”, Chanyeol, all panicked and scared, frantically bolstered. Baekhyun flinched at his loud timbre, but kept silent. “I’d never do that to you, Baek.”

They both looked consternated by his particular choice of words. The smaller cleared his throat, and Chanyeol shrunk to himself without releasing the hand.

“I know she’s not expecting your baby”, he reassured him, giving his hand a squeeze back. “Her baby’s father is Kyungsoo’s co-worker—Hyuk, is it?”

Chanyeol went from mortified to alleviated and then obviously curious in a matter of seconds, shifting to his side and drapping an arm over Baekhyun’s shoulders. The smaller felt torn between wanting to punch him for shamelessly messing with his inner self like that, or snuggling closer and enyoing his beloved’s splendid heat.

“She looked displeased when she saw my belly—I think your mother detailedly told her about how this happened and she took it badly”, his fingers softly drummed over his stomach, and the fondness in his eyes prompted Chanyeol to scoot until their thighs were glued together. “And, well... She said that it was my fault that your relationship never worked out in the first place.”

“Sooyoung is crazy”, Chanyeol replied, eyebrows arched in disbelief. “I met her almost five years after you left. Seriously, don’t mind her. You had nothing to do with it.”

“Well, she had fascinating arguments in her favor, you know?” Chanyeol was about to stand up and get away from him, so Baekhyun embraced his upper trunk without delay, and rested his head over Chanyeol’s beating heart. It was pounding laboriously. “Please, hear me out first.”

Chanyeol was stiff as Baekhyun nested. After a few angonizing seconds, he became pliant under him and rubbed Baekhyun’s hip, encouraging him to articulate what he was recalling.

_“He seemed like the perfect suitor at the beginning”, Sooyoung related as they both sat inside the little coffee shop. She was having some sugary latte—Baekhyun had voted against buying it, but she was stubborn—, while he sipped a glass of lukewarm water. “He was attentive, sweet and funny, despite how clumsy and awkward his first impression was. Most importantly, he seemed like a honest man and that was what I’d been looking for. ”_

_“He doesn’t seem like a honest man, he is”, Baekhyun attested, and Sooyoung sadly smiled to herself._

_“His biggest flaw, however, was... well, you”, she chuckled at Baekhyun’s scandalous expression and gestured him to settle down. “He was an amazing lover—very open to suggestions and quite a giver, and his hands...”, Sooyoung kept going, and green jealousy pricked Baekhyun’s skin; he was aware of that, so there was no need to bring it up. “I thought I had finally found my prince charming, until that damned night happened, when he called your name after we’ve just finished making love. He was at the verge of falling asleep, all drowsy and high-in-affection, thus he didn’t remember saying anything the next morning.”_

_Baekhyun blinked, feeling oddly symphatetic._

_“I thought it was just a foolish blunder, but he kept doing it over and over... And everytime it hurt more and more”, she whispered, playing with her hot drink. “I tried to erase your image, to replace all those painful memories he had of you, but nothing worked. And believe when I said that I tried anything—I once heard from Jongin that you two used to build forts and would play music together... I did something like that in his living room and he got furious”, Baekhyun felt uncomfortable as her eyes fell to her baby bump, and she seemed regretful. “At some point, I was tired of being a consolation prize and decided to get out to relieve some stress. I was just checking a bar Kyungsoo and Jongin frequented, and I met Hyukkie there. We’d seen each other on Kyungsoo’s birthday party before, but didn’t get to interact because I was with Chanyeol.”_

_“You cheated on Chanyeol that night”, he completed._

_Sooyoung slumped over. “I was drunk and hurt... And Hyukkie was very understanding. He kept saying that I should break up with him because I wasn’t an emotional rival for you, that there was no reason for me to let my self-steem crumble under a figure from the past, but I couldn’t—Chanyeol was my safety net, and everything between us was perfect... except for his failed marriage”, she admitted with remorse. “I blamed it all on you. I really hated you—if you hadn’t left like that, if he had gotten some real closure, perhaps he would’ve been my husband right now. His mother thought like that, too.”_

_Did not like the sound of it._

_“But I guess things were just not meant to be”, she pondered about it in silence, and Baekhyun became ashamed of his thoughts as she fixed a look over his abdomen. “I suppose it’s time to move on...”_

“Oh”, Chanyeol hugged him tighter after he finished his anecdote, shaky puffs of air fanning Baekhyun’s bangs. The smaller bit his lower lip and nervously stared at him. “Wow, I’m a jerk... I had no idea... I mean... perhaps I suspected, I... wow.”

“Yes, you were a jerk then”, Baekhyun nodded and, when he noticed Chanyeol’s terribly guilty semblance, he kissed a spot in the line of his jaw. “Now, don’t look so sad. It’s already done. You weren’t ready for a relationship, Yeol... You weren’t aware of that.”

The soft graze made Chanyeol spam, eyes wide and looking at the smaller with surprise. “I should apologize...”

“You should talk with her and finally let all go. The father of my kids isn’t a completely heartless bastard. His heart is too big for that.”

Baekhyun noticed the other’s expressive eyes filling with regret and pain, and was incited to restore the happiness in them.

“You’re not a villian, Yeol... This is going to sound overly selfish and wrong, but I can’t find myself to be really angry by what you did. I’m sorry Sooyoung had to experience such disappointment, because I do believe no one deserves to be treated like a second option... but, to be honest, I can only think how I was probably just as bad as yourself—when I first tried dating, I kept looking for partners who resembled you: tall, lanky, with funny ears and deep-rumbling voices... ” the giant grunted and held his waist with vehemency, and Baekhyun burtled out. “I couldn’t get over you. I don’t think I’ve ever accomplished it... Not then, not now.”

Chanyeol’s semblance crumbled down. “Baek...”

The pregnant male shut his eyes, suddenly frightened. _Shit, I wasn’t going to say it like that._

“Baek, please, look at me”, Chanyeol probed him, but the smaller refused and buried his nose in his shirt. Chanyeol smelled so good, like a pine forest after a fresh rain. “Baek, please... look up.”

Nothing would have ever prepared him for the long-stretched, downright thrilled smile on the other’s bright face, or the passionate, breathtaking kiss Chanyeol dove in for when Baekhyun helpelessly gaped at him. The pregnant male felt like crying out of bliss as they joined in a spectacularly simple kiss, the vibrations of his overly sensitive body making him feel like he would combust. They teased each other with the tips of their tongues to get snickers out of the other, but limited their emotive lip-locking to a chaste, exploratory level. He craddled the other’s face between his hands when Chanyeol shifted in a better position, and they both chuckled against each other’s lips when they took a break to regain their breaths.

Chanyeol pecked him once, twice, thrice before he could give Baekhyun some space to recover from the overwhelming feeling of apparent correspondence.

“If the doctor wouldn’t have adviced against is, I’d be seriously considering taking you to my bed at this moment, so I could worship every bit of yourself like you deserve...”, the giant whispered, stealing another soft, gentle kiss from his partnet. Baekhyun’s eyes were crinkled by the curve of his wide beam as Chanyeol trailed his neck with the tip of his nose, nipping the area of his pulse. “God, Baek, you’ve made it so hard to resist you. You’ve put me through hell this past months...”  
  
“Aw, but you know patience is a virtue, Yeol”, he commented as his ex-husband lifted his shirt and caressed the bare skin of his stomach, and their babies kicked.

Chanyeol gave him a final peck on his forehead and hoisted him back against his chest, displaying a wide, self-slaked grin.

“My, don’t look so happy—it’s ugly and creepy. Your twitching smile is freaking me out.”

“Close your eyes, then. I’m too happy to care.”

“Why am I even attracted to you? There must be something wrong with me”, Baekhyun joked.

“Too late to back down now. We’re stuck together.”

Baekhyun laughed and went all boneless over him. “Does this mean...? Um, what does this mean exactly?”, he asked in a mousy tone. “Where are we? Are we just... trying again?”

He playfully bit the smaller’s ear before tickling his shell with his secret murmur. “We could be trying again, or we could be picking our relationship from where we’d left it off—it’s your choice how you decide to call it, I don’t really mind. Knowing I’m allowed to kiss you whenever I want is enough for me. I don’t need a label.”

“Since when?” The smaller wondered, eyes glistening as the taller scrapped his hair. “How long have you been feeling like this?”

“Perhaps since Sokcho—that night really affected me,” Baekhyun slapped his chest, and Chanyeol smiled. “I remembered why I used to love you while we spent hours watching over our daughters, but then you dismissed our night as meaningless, and those feelings turned, I don’t know, tart? I still kept feeling attached, like I couldn’t picture you out of my reach again, and it angered me.”

“I saw you hugging your ex-girlfriend right after we had slept together. How was I supossed to react? Should I have thrown conffetti around?”, was Baekhyun’s sour rebuttal, and winced when his kids booted. “I felt played.”

“I wasn’t hugging her back—if you had looked closer, you would’ve noticed my arms were painfully bent as she squeezed the hell out of me.”

Baekhyun opened his mouth to reply, thought about it, and his head hurt. “I am pregnant. You don’t mess with a pregnant person and assume their brain isn’t going to get all crazy and see things.”

Chanyeol hummed for the lame comeback, holding him close, and they fell into a comforting silent as the rush of excitement slowly died and left a pleasent buzz in their veins.

“A brand new beginning sounds nice”, Baekhyun said at last, and his hand came to cover Chanyeol’s bigger one on his belly. “But having kids together and a complex past hardly makes it brand new... This is so insane. Don’t you think we should wait?”

“Wait? For what, Baek? For things to get better? Normal?” Chanyeol brought his fingers to the smaller’s nape, and brushed it with his nails, causing a delicious friction. “I’ll agree if you suggest taking baby steps. We’ve been through many things in the past six months. We need our peaceful haven amidst the chaos, and I’m willing to construct it by your side. I think we got all the time in the world to court and properly enamour each other—to try to be the family we’ve always dreamed to be.”  
  
“Chanyeol...”, he sighed. “We’re doing things backwards again—it should be compromise, marriage, pregnancy, not the other way around.”

“Backwars is fine.”

“Yeol...”

“Baek, I know a lot of people won’t be happy with this. I know the road ahead will be full of hardships and challenges. I know that we’ll fight and probably open old scars if the situation surpassess us...”, his gaze was full of passion, of firm hope and though determination. If his gaze was not enough to erase his doubts, his honest eloquence was. “I know all of that.”

“Your mother’s going to have a stroke”, he said to himself. “Heechul might as well... Oh, and my grandparents could send us an awful wedding present again, even if weren’t engaged or anything.”

Chanyeol kissed him to shut him up. “I’ve been waiting for so long... I could wait more if you asked me, but if that’s not what you truly want, please don’t suggest it. Just be honest with yourself.”

Baekhyun felt like the other could see right through him, read his mind like he owned it. Chanyeol still had a way to understand him better than anyone, and it did wonders to his self-confidence.

“Dada and Jojo are going to piss themselves, Yeol”, he covered his mouth with a shaky hand, sealing a snort. He hovered over Chanyeol, who was lost in an episode of intensive admiration, and naughtly bit the corner of his lovely smile. “Ha-ha, us being together again is like opening the box of Pandora.”

“People survived that, they’ll survive this”, Chanyeol replied and leaned in to trap those rosy lips between his in a sensuous, slow kiss.

* * *

  **viii.**

Joohyun and Dahyun did go hysterical when they came back and caught their parents kissing in the middle of the kitchen. The whole neighborhood probably heard them screaming.

They had entered without ringing the bell since the main door was unlocked, and Dahyun had been the first to rush inside. She quickly unfastened her shoes at the step and ran down the entryway, following the noises of pots being moved around.

“Papa, appa, we met—kya! Papa and appa are kissing!” She yelled, almost letting the bag with frail mementos fall when the striking surprise became too much for her little body. Chanyeol was still back-hugging Baekhyun, so he tightened his arm around the round form as his body went stiff from the startle. “Ah!”

Her pretty eyes widened like saucers as they gawked back at her, and rose-ink splashed her cheeks when Joohyun hurried to her side, almost tumbling over if she had not grasped her sister’s elbow in time.

They had to sat them down to explain that _yes, they were a couple now_ ; _no, they were not getting married_ , and _no, they could not call their uncles to gossip about it_. Two weeks later, the girls finally stopped gushing about it when their dog arrived, after his pet-passport, vaccines and papers were cleared out. Heechul had sent all their belongings by then, and, for the pair of creative kids, it was like  treasure hunting.

They were currently assorting the contents of the last boxes and selecting what they were giving away to charity.

“Wow, papa and appa!”, Joohyun said when she unwrapped a wall frame and came across with a polaroid of younger Baekhyun, with stunning dark-red locks, enveloped by a smiling, rainbow-haired Chanyeol. They had outfits for the beach.

“ _Holy_ -I liked those colors on your papa”, Chanyeol whistled over her shoulder, a large grin blooming on his face when Dahyun climbed his back. “This was from appa and papa first year together. We traveled to Jeju... Dada, this was in your bedroom. Does papa know you have this picture?”

“Nop! Hee-uncle gave it to me when I was seven. He said no to tell”, she piped up as Baekhyun entered with a tray of homemade cookies, triggering surprised gasps from his family. “Papa, those look delicious!”, Dahyun sniffed the air and her mouth seemed to water. “...And smell divine.”

Chanyeol stood up and gently removed the lap tray from the pregnant male’s delicate hands. They briefly kissed, the smaller frowning in confusion as Joohyun hastily covered what they found.

“What was that? I want to see”, Dahyun shook her head. “Why not?”

Baekhyun reclined on the sofa as Chanyeol openes the legs of the tray and let it on the floor, scooting sideways when his daughter swiftly crawled closer.

The smaller was unpleased for the secretive smiles. “Show me what you got there.”

Joohyun obeyed at last, puppy-eyes trembling as she handed him the photo frame. He blushed to the roots of his hair. It was the remaining photo from their first anniversary. The smaller gasped, eyes watery and breathe shuddering.

“We look good together, don’t we?”, his boyfriend commented and the girls giggled when Chanyeol sat in front of him and rested his head against Baekhyun’s belly, slowly caressing it. “Always have...”

“Papa is so beautiful, right, appa?”, Joohyun munched on a cookie, nodding to herself. Dahyun was sipping her glass when Baekhyun’s shrill cry unexpectedly broke the silence, and she spit over her sister’s shocked face. “Onee-chan...”, she whined.

“I look so handsome here, and now I’m an elephant-no, wait, a manatee! Chanyeol, this all your fault! I’ll never get to look like this again... I’ll be a manatee for the rest of my life.”

Chanyeol rubbed his sides, trying to calm him down. “Babe, you don’t look like a manatee. You’re much prettier and lovely... And, on top of that, you’re carrying quadruplets. That’s simply amazing—manatees can’t have more than two babies. Hell, a lot humans would like to have more than one baby, but they can’t. You should feel lucky and excited, not self-conscious because of a manatee”, his honest words seemed to soothe Baekhyun’s boiling anxiety, and the smaller unsurely chuckled at his silly outburst as Chanyeol smiled at him. “Good, that’s my Baek. My gorgeous and proudly pregnant Baek.”

“So...”, the smaller man shuddered, eyes a bit hooded as Chanyeol pecked his palms. He took a shaky breath, looking at his wonder-struck daughters with a love-induced grin. “What do you want for dinner?”

“Can I have you?”, Chanyeol responded in a low voice once he was sure the girls were distracted, bickering about what to eat. Baekhyun smiled.

“Only if you ask nicely.”

* * *

**ix.**

At his thirty-three weeks, they celebrated Luhan’s birthday with a picnic day at the Citizen Park. Baekhyun’s delivery was scheduled due two weeks and the parents had been all hyper-restless and overburdened with the preparations. They went over every details at least twice a day, discussing with Yixing two or three things about the aftercare. Joohyun and Dahyun had been particularly touchy as the date gof closer, as if the reality of having four baby brothers at once was catching up. It ultimately intimidated them, and their parents had attempted to talk about it, but they did not seem ready to approach the topic.

As they spent time with their group of close friends that morning, part of their burden eased. Jongin had applied his charms to get their daughters in a better mood, and had taken them over the playground area to get them relaxed. Meanwhile, the rest of them fueled a long conversation about their lifes, politics, sports, upcoming wedlocks... and it was good, really good.

“I still can’t believe you guys are back together”, Luhan’s friend, Mimi, said after hearing the story behind Baekhyun’s pregnancy from their friends. “Isn’t it strange? I don’t think I’d ever like to go back to one of my exes.”

Baekhyun’s head was on Chanyeol’s shoulder as the taller delicately pushed apple slices into his mouth. Baekhyun had first opposed, since he could do it alright by himself, but then had Chanyeol started doing ridiculous faces and airplane noises, and he had allowed him to feed him as a reward for making him laugh.

“Most of your ex-boyfriends were assholes—all macho-man, mindless cheaters”, Zitao, an old friend of Baekhyun and Luhan, sharply commented. “Baekhyun and Chanyeol aren’t assholes, Mimi. Just stupid, immature adults who poorly managed a critical issue, not better than teenagers at that time. No assholes, though.”

“We were only twenty two, but thanks Tao”, Chanyeol grunted. “When you have children of your own, you’ll understand—and, Mimi, no, it’s not strange. If anything, it’s pretty amazing. Baek and I have history together, with good and bad sides... so it feels nice to turn around and see how far we’ve come somehow.”

Kyungsoo and Baekhyun cringed at the same time.

“Wipe that goofy grin off. You look like a maniac”, Yifan inoffesively daunted. “There are children around.”

“It’s okay. The family over there brought a park police after Han said he wanted to kidnap the baby we saw on our way here”, Sehun pointed at the vigilant with the neck of his bottle.

Luhan, sipping his beer, rolled his eyes and everyone laughed. “I’m Chinese, I confuse the words sometimes.”

“Tsk, aren’t you cheesy?” Baekhyun murmured as his boyfriend gave him the last slide, tilting Chanyeol’s face in his direction and stealing a deep kiss from him. The spectators and bystanders groaned in unison, which served to inflate Baekhyun’s playful happiness. “Don’t be jealous, guys. Someday you’ll find your own giant with Yoda ears and awful jokes, and he’ll feed you like you’re Cleopatra.”

“I think I’m pretty good with a normal man. Star Wars is not my style anyway”, Mimi answered and they shared a good, local laugh as they pointedly looked at Yifan.

Before lunch, Baekhyun said he felt a bit drowsy and under the weather, so Kyungsoo offered to drive him home. Chanyeol assured he would stay behind with the girls for a couple of hours, promising to call him every thirty minutes to check if he needed anything.

“Don’t do that. What if I’m sleeping and you wake me up? You know your sons and I don’t appreciate our nap times being disrupted”, Chanyeol seemed a bit hesitant to let him go, clinging to his waist and longingly observing his huge stomach, and Baekhyun felt so in love, it was ridiculous. “Yeol-ah, hey... it’s going to be fine. Just a couple of hours and then we can cuddle... I’ll be waiting at home. Enjoy your time with friends. We won’t get much spare time after the next two weeks.”

“I can’t wait for it”, his boyfriend replied, kissing him again.

Chanyeol lingered over thoses lips a few seconds more than intended, and Baekhyun got in the back seat of the car with a dreamy sigh. Kyungsoo huffed as Baekhyun smiled widely.

“I feel like you’re my personal driver, and that’s so cool.”

“Shut up.”

* * *

**x.**

Quite different from the previos time in a similar situation, Heechul had no companions as he rushed past the hospital entrance and found the line of exhausted man guarding the operating teathers. There were not enough seats around, so Sehun and Luhan were on the floor, arms tightly clasped round each other, while Yifan and Jongin were at Chanyeol’s left and right respectively. His friend’s partner was hunched over himself, face buried in quivering hands, dark hair falling between finger gasps.

“Where are Joohyun and Dahyun?” Heechul asked, at the lack of better greeting. The air was dull and heavy. “Where they with him?”, because if they were, Heechul would not be able to handle it.

“No”, Luhan replied with hollow eyes, and Heechul felt bad. “They’re with Zitao... He’s staying with them in Chanyeol’s apartment. They’re okay.”

As okay as anyone could be in this situation, Heechul guessed Luhan meant to say.

His worst nightmare had become real when they called him two weeks before his scheduled flight to notify him that Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had been involved in a car accident. A vehicle had been struck by a driver been chased by the federals—on a Saturday morning, for God’s sake—and it had stridently banged Kyungsoo’s car after losing control. When he asked in the nurse station, they had called it _collateral damage_.

He wordlessly slid in front of Chanyeol, who had not raised his head from his hurtful position, and collapsed on the floor with a thud. Heechul listened closer, and swore that Chanyeol and Jongin were praying together. It made him tear up as the thought of Baekhyun dying morphed to a plausible reality.

The medical staff came out an hour later, eyes narrowing as they took in the desperate semblances of the who visitors who scrambled up as he came through the doors. They recognized all of them.

“Mr. Byun’s babies are stable”, one doctor assured. The crash had caused Baekhyun a placental abruption, which could have seriously harmed the babies as it cut their oxygen supply, thus they performed an emergency C-section upon arriving to the ER. “They’re four premature nonetheless healthy boys. Congratulations, Mr. Park—you can ask a nurse to take you to see them whenever you’re ready.”

The air became tense as their gazes adventured backwards, and studied the motionless man soaking the news with a despondent, defeated expression.

He trembled when Luhan and Sehun sadly patted his back, telling to say something. “W-What about my boyfriend?” He asked in a crushed whisper. “Is Baekhyun okay?”

The doctor’s face was too somber. “Mr. Byun is in a delicate condition at the moment—his bladder was injured, and he lost a considerable amount of blood. We’ve gotten it under control for the moment, but the critical time hasn’t passed yet.”

Chanyeol nodded, seemingly wanting to ask more, but shrunk and hugged his friends as he cried hard. “I’m a father... but... Baek...”

Heechul gulped, numb to the core.

“Do Kyungsoo is stable, too”, he said and Jongin almost fell from deliverance, Yifan helping him to stay standing. The group of friends seemed relieved, until he ruefully added, “but we couldn’t save his baby. I’m truly sorry.”

“W-What?” Jongin paled, face turning horrified. “What baby?”

“Mr. Do was seven weeks pregnant, more or less. There wasn’t much we could do.”

And Heechul witnessed how all of them became as soulless as Jongin, who did not even know he was going to be a father and had to mourn the loss of his first child.

* * *

**xi.**

Chanyeol was deadly drained. Kyungsoo and his boyfriend had been transferred to the ICU, but they still remained under powerful sedatives. They had not allowed him to see Baekhyun more than an hour, but a few seconds had been enough to get him heartbroken and powerless, the same he had been when he first saw his daughters after the accident. His beloved was crowded by beeping screens, tubes, and V-lines; his skin was colorless and his cheeks were sullen, and his scratched face was the only thing without bandages.

“Baek, our babies are so beautiful... You have to wake up, so...” Chanyeol gulped. “They need you, love. Please, wake up... please... I have to tell you something, Baek...”

His hours after lunch went by with his petite babies, following the nurses’ instructions to properly bond with them. He told them about their wonderful papa and elfin sisters, and was in his own world until they reminded him visitation time would start in an hour.

He took Joohyun, Dahyun and Heechul to the hospital so they could meet them. They were in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, among many other little figures that looked extremely feeble and vulnerable in the incubators, surrounded by busy staff members checking their monitors, IV and tubes. It would be overwhelming at first, but a social worker had recommended the interaction between siblings. He tenderly explained them that the boys required all the love and support they could get from her big sisters more than ever.

A nurse took the twins and prepared them for the visit. Dahyun and Joohyun played rock-papers-scissors outside, so Dahyun was the first to enter with him as her sister bided with another nurse and Heechul.

From the eldest to the youngest, they had decided to name them Minhwan, Seunghwan, Taehwan and Younghwan. They were all flushed and small, thinner than some of the other babies around, and Dahyun had spent a good five minutes admiring them with puzzled, dazzled eyes, like he could not believe they were her brothers. She quietly cooed after she recovered from the strong impression.

“...And don’t worry if this place looks too scary”, Chanyeol heard Dahyun saying as the nurse told him the time was up. Some of the people there turned to see his daughter, some parents even eyeing her adoringly. “Your noonas have been in a hospital before, and I promise it’s not that bad. We were very brave then, now it’s your turn. Jojo and me will be waiting for you so we can all play together.”

A similar scene repeated when they brought Joohyun in. First, she seemed absolutely frightened of invading their space and hurting them somehow. But she moved past it, and fondly hummed a lullaby, the same Chanyeol had sang to her many times before. Her father felt the sentimental eyes inspecting them closely.

“Goodbye, baby brothers”, Joohyun said when her father grasped her hand. “We’ll come to see you and cheer you up, and when he gets better, we’ll take papa here to sing together for you. It’s hard to listen to things when you’re under water, so you’ll be amazed how pretty papa’s voice is!”

They mera Jongin at the main entrance, looking all worn-out and devastated, worse than Chanyeol had ever seen him. His daughter were swift as they approached him and showed pure, sunny grins to dissipate his gloomy mood. Seeing the girls in the owl-matching sweatshirts he had gotten them for Christmas brought a little smile on his face, and he kneeled down so they both could peck his cheeks. 

The girls were a few steps ahead, walking towards the car.

“Luhan and Sehun weren’t the only ones trying, you know? Seeing you and Baekhyun with the girls, and all pregnant and deliriously happy again...”, he trailed off, and a tear dropped on his hoodie. Chanyeol’s mouth was dry as his heart constricted. “It gave us many ideas. We all wanted a family like that. I called his parents...”

Chanyeol nodded, wondering what he could say to ease Jongin’s pain. At the end, he enveloped him with one arm, firm and comforting.

“God, Chanyeol... How are we supposed to overcome this? I mean, it was my day to drive—why didn’t he call me? I... I... I could’ve taken... our baby would’ve been fine!”

“You mourn and then try again”, Heechul asserted, freezing them with his strong tone. Jongin seemed momentariy enraged, but Chanyeol held him back. “You were lucky enough to get your partner back, Jongin. Not all of us get that privilege”, and he walked away, following the twins.

They remembered. Heechul’s young wife had from leukemia even before the girls were born. She was Baekhyun’s politic cousin, a beautiful lady named Hani. The only woman he had ever loved.

* * *

**xii.**

Kyungsoo was moved out the intensive care before Baekhyun, and woke up not even three hours later. Chanyeol had been with his babies in the NICU when it happened, nurses removing Younghwan and Minhwan from his naked chest when he noticed that Jongin was watching him from the other side of the door. They were about to start scheduled examinations, so they were asked to leave for the moment.

“Kyungsoo is awake and he wants to speak with you”, his friend informed him as soon as Chanyeol greeted him, eyes a bit opaque. “He’s so dejected, Yeol... He won’t look me in the eyes. Please, if he needs a shoulder to lean on... you have to...”

Chanyeol halted, feeling the weight of the world falling over them. “Did Kyungsoo know he was pregnant?”

“He thought it was a false alarm—he took a pregnancy test and it was negative”, Jongin sighed, dark bags under his eyes stealing years of his youthful expression. He messed his hair, frustrated. “He didn’t want to give me false hope... God, it should’ve been me instead of him.”

Chanyeol wished he had been in the place of Baekhyun. He drapped his arms around his friend and drew him closer, and both of them continued in silence for the rest of the journey.

When he was outside Kyungsoo’s room, Jongin softly inquired, “what were you doing with your sons back there? I mean, your shirt was undone and...”, Chanyeol felt guilty for some unfathomable reason, the hurt in Jongin’s voice burning him to the depths of his soul. “What was that?”

Chanyeol smiled as gently as possibly. “Kangaroo care. Skin-to-skin contact helps keeping them warm, and stabilizes the heartbeat and breathing rate of the baby—babies, in my case”, he said. “I’m sorry, Jongin... I really am.”

Kyungsoo’s tired gaze was resting on the windowsill when he stepped inside. There were four equipped beds in the room, but his friend was the only patient currently in it. His whole abdomen and right arm were bandaged, and there was a neck brace tightly secured under his chin. He had heard the impact was against Kyungsoo’s door, and his friend’s bruised aspect attested it.

“Soo... hey, how are you?”, Kyungsoo’s plump lips curved down, and Chayeol grimaced as he sat beside him. “Sorry. Jongin told me you wanted to talk.”

Kyungsoo’s owlish eyes darted around, as if he mused about what to say or how to verbalize it. He cleared his throat, and the sound was so choked and rough it shook Chanyeol’s spine.

“How are the babies?”

He was sure Jongin had updated him about them, but Kyungsoo probably wanted to hear it from someone else, someone intimately affected—more than Jongin himself.

“They’re okay. They weight around four pounds each one and are fifteen inches. They’ve developed well... Baek did a wonderful job against every odd”, he mentioned. He caught his friend releasing a gentle smile.

“When Dahyun and Joohyun were born, you told everybody their exact birth weight and height, skin color and recorded their first cry”, Kyungsoo reminded him. “Do you think I don’t want to hear you bragging about your babies now because I lost mine? I’m not like that, Yeol.”

Chanyeol flushed, abashed and mortified. Of course he desired to speak about his sons and everything he had experienced in the NICU, but he did not understand how he could do it when they were overcoming such tragedy.

Kyungsoo’s eyes were loving, strangely understanding. “How is Baekhyun? Jongin told me he’s still downstairs...” Chanyeol sighed, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, Chanyeol. If I’ve taken another route instead—”

“Baekhyun is stable, but he’s... in coma. They’ll bring him up later. It wasn’t your fault”, Kyungsoo shrunk, nodding. “He’s going to get through this, I have no doubt. I just... I miss him a lot. I really want him to see our babies, they’re so tiny and frail... but so strong already. Minhwan grasped my finger today for the first time, and Taehwan had a smile all the time... I know it isn’t more than a response to stimuli, but still... ”

“I’m really happy for you, Yeol. I really am”, and Chanyeol felt forgiven for some reason as Kyungsoo closed his eyes to rest. “Go to your boyfriend now. He probably needs you more than never. And tell Jongin I need him by my side...”

Baekhyun was assigned an individual room a few days later. Heechul accompanied him during tranquil mornings while the twins were at school. Dahyun and Joohyun would visit him on their way home, and Heechul would escort them back as Chanyeol took over. He always had a new sensation to report about their babies.

“A nurse told me they’ll be ready to leave in a week”, he had Baekhyun’s cold hand inside his own, and he could not fight the urge to trace his palm lines with a soothing finger. “I played a song for them today... one of the pieces you like so much from Spirited Away. And... Well, I prepared something for you as well. I think you’ll remember it from the night we met.”

He took his guitar out and eyed the clock by the door. It was fifteen past twelve at night.

“Happy birthday, Baek”, he croaked out before cracking his fingers and adjusting his instrument over his lap. He started then. “. _..With my old guitar I’ll take all the confessions I couldn’t say, all the things I swallowed inside, and tell you right now as if I made it into a song. Just listen, I’ll sing for you..._ ”

He closed his eyes, his blurry vision pestering him. His heart was clenched by pain, but he kept going. It did not matter anything else.

“ _I love you so much, but I don’t tell you I do. It’s awkward, my pride won’t allow me... I’ll take courage and tell you today, but just listen without much thought, I’ll sing for you..._ ”

Chanyeol meant it. He loved Baekhyun and knew Baekhyun loved him back.

“ _The way you cry, the way you smile... Do you know how much you mean to me? Words I want to say, words I lost, I’ll confess to yo... but just listen, I’ll sing for you, sing for you. Just listen and smile..._ ”

And Baekhyun, disoriented and muzzy, was bedazzled by the lights as his eyelids flickered open. His poignant memories returninng in painful and fast flashes scared him. They were so vivid and tangible, he could feel the sharp back pain and the blood tickling him between his numb legs.

He was languished and worn-out, but still found vigor to push his hand over his flat, empty stomach. His soul left his body for a moment, and then, he perceived it.

“ _I’m so thankful every day that you are here. You’re a gift from God..._ ”, surprisingly, the clashing noise of Chanyeol’s fingers messing up the accords did not startle him. The giant stared intensely, his expressive eyes savouring the moment. “Hey... so you finally decided to join us, Sleepy Beauty”, he watched him with glassy eyes as Chanyeol let his guitar on the floor and pressed the nurse-button. His voice was missing, and he had so many things he wanted to say. “Our sons are okay. Kyungsoo is okay. You’ll be okay... And I love you, Baek. Please, don’t scare me like that again.”

Baekhyun sleepily smiled as the answers he wished to know reached his ears. He slowly drifted away, listening to his giant wishing him the best birthday as the medical staff arrived inside.

_I love you, too._

* * *

**xiii.**

The quadruplets’ first birthday had been a beautiful disaster.

Baekhyun’s grandfather had hit his head as he chased Dahyun down the staircase, Chanyeol’s mother burnt her hands with oil as she tried to cook some fries alongside Joohyun, Chanyeol lost Minhwan in their garden, Jongin lost Younghwan inside the house for cooing at his baby Taeoh, pregnant-brained Luhan dressed Taehwan with Seunghwan’s shirt and viceversa, Heechul and Yifan got drunk before the party even started, Minseok sprained his ankle when he picked the cake up, Jongdae made some fireworks explode in their bedroom, and Sehun gave Suho a bit of chocolate.

Yes, it had been a total mess, but Kyungsoo and Yixing had been there to calm him down, and they perfomed a great damage control before anything went out of hands when Taeyeon, Minyoung and Sooyeon got there. Taking care of children (and a bunch of immature adults) had never been as challenging, and Baekhyun was sure he would have not gotten very far if it were not for the people supporting their family.

And all the sleepless nights, smelly diapers, vomited shoulders, peed faces, weekly schedules, tears and ear-piercining cries had been worthy when their four little angels were seated in their high tolls, each one stuffing their faces with the tiny pieces of cake they had given them as they sang happy birthday. Dahyun and Joohyun were laughing as they entertained them and helped them finish their portions, and Baekhyun had never been as happy as that moment.

Minhwan and Seunghwan were the irrefutable love children of the couple, the living, perfect combination of their traits, and Taehwan and Younghwan were Baekhyun’s baby doppelgängers. They had warmed everyone’s hearts with their birth, even his grandparents’ and Chanyeol’s mother.

“So people, gather around—it’s music time”, Chanyeol announced and the girls squealed, jumping into action. Baekhyun knew they had been preparing a song for the birthday boys, and it did wonders to his joy to know how his family seemed to be closer than never.

Joohyun and Chanyeol would play their guitars, and Dahyun would assist them with her vocals. Baekhyun had Minhwan and Younghwan (totally papa’s boys) on his knees as Sehun on his right carried Taehwan and Jongin on his left took Seunghwan (those two were appa biased, so they particularly enjoyed being carried by 180-tall people). He was so excited, and hoped that Yifan recorded it well.

“So, I want to thank each one of you for coming here today to celebrate our sons’ first year. It was rough and so hard on us, but we made it alive and we’re doing great—aren’t we, princesses?” His daughters shared a blissful laugh and quickly agreed with him, adding how dealing with baby brothers had not been as funny as they had first expected. “I’m grateful to be here with the people I love after all that had happened... Specially you, Baek. You’ve worked like crazy this past year to shower our children tons of inconditional love. You have no idea how lucky I feel to be yours—”, and the multitude playfully hooted as his partner rolled his eyes, winking at his boyfriend at last. “So, I thought about preparing the boys a good present to commemorate this.”

“I love you, hot stuff!” Baekhyun shamelessly cheered. Chanyeol’s narcissist smile appeared, and he found it adorable. 

Suho had a bag hanging from his collar when he approached him, licking his forearm. Chanyeol and Joohyun counted to three, and began. 

 _Being born in the same country_  
_Talking in the same language_  
_We’re so lucky, it’s such a relief_  
_Nothing is for certain in this world_

Baekhyun opened the bag with the aid of Heechul. There was a piece of paper and something that looked like an old vaseline container. Heechul read whatever it written on the paper and smirked. Baekhyun’s eyes were blown wide when he displayed it in front of him.

 **I know you’ve been looking for them, but I’d hid them well.** **It’s safe to assume you want to wear them again, and I think you should know that so do I.**  
**Let’s get married, love.**

He choked when he picked the pair of golden wedding bands inside the container. Chanyeol quirked an eyebrow in wondering, and he nodded, tears streaming down his face.  _Stupid giant, could you not be more romantic?_

 _I can call your name and I can hold your hand..._  
_Is the falling sunlight only shining on me? Can I be this happy?_  
_You call my name and you lean on my shoulder,_  
_Is the sky’s sunlight only shining on you? Can you be that dazzling?_

 _So lucky, my love..._  
_So lucky to have you..._  
_So lucky to be your love, I am..._

Dahyun went to retrieve Minhwan and Joohyun took Younghwan away after the song was finished. Their friends were noisy with their sarcastic jokes and cat-calls, but Baekhyun could not find a reason to care when his ex-husband placed in his hands a Beauty and the Beast’s ring box (shaped as the magic rose inside the crystal).

“The girls picked the box”, Chanyeol commented, as if it were not evident enough. He heard them giggling behind. “So, will you marry me again?”

Baekhyun shrugged, eyes absolutely brilliant. “Only because you asked it nicely during our sons’ birthday.”


	10. Bonus Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bonus chapter with glimpses of Chanbaek's relationship after the quads' birth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You didn't ask for this, but I couldn't help myself. This is for Exo's comeback, because I love Kokobop and I had too many feelings with the perfomances.  
> Anyway, this is a little long. It's before the quads' birthday at the end of chapter nine. Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.  
> Note: you should listen to Kokobop, The Eve, Walk on Dreams, Touch It and Forever while you're reading this.

Momo and Yui, Dahyun’s friends, arrived in Japan at the beginning of the week for the twins’ birthday. While Momo was as good-humored and polite as ever, Yui resembled Kyungsoo in many aspects; she wore crusty, poker faces around unfamiliar characters and reserved her amicable traits for her dear ones. The three of them reunited was, without doubt, a call for chaos.

It was a well-known true that Joohyun was an introvert sweetheart. Hence it was not surprising that, whenever she felt the slightest upset about having their newcomers appropriating her sister’s attention, she would excuse herself to play with their little brothers instead of voicing her distress. Baekhyun and Chanyeol had found her leaning over their playpens and cribs quite often, shaking shiny, furry toys in front of intrigued baby eyes and grasping fingers, or rearing one of the cherubs while the others curiously watch her. That day was not an exception.

It was nearing the end of July. They had planned a day in the aquarium to celebrate the special occasion. It was rather comical than the grown ups seemed even more exhilarated about it than the kids―Jongin and Luhan even organized an agenda to watch the three animal feeding events and go shark diving. It would be the twins’ first birthday together and their first time going out with their newborns, who had recently turned three months old. Also, it would be Baekhyun’s second outing after his postpartum recovery period (which meant no hard exercise and strict home rest for weeks).

For Baekhyun, it was disconcerting how paranoid the thought of heading out left him. He had invested a few hours doing and undoing the quads’ diaper bag, listening to the forecast with the anticipation of a devotee waiting for the dooming announcement of the Apocalypses and calling Chanyeol, who was out running errands, to reassure himself about their plans and appease the incessant voices of his ilogical mind. At some point, he abruptly stopped stuffing the diaper bag to ponder what was wrong with himself.

And, of course, dialed Chanyeol’s number again.

“It’s not like we’re taking them to the jungle, Baek”, his boyfriend told him, cool, self-possessed and everything Baekhyun was not at the moment. “We’ll be fine―and doc is on speed dial if anything seems out of place. You’re overreacting.”

“If our babies get infected with something, you’ll regret your words”, and he slammed his cellphone down.

He profoundly disliked the crazy vulnerability. He had not been as fussy and chary when the twins were infants, taking them out almost immediately after he was authorized to resume his regular activities and letting them play with anything at hand. Perhaps that was because he had them at the careless age of twenty-one, and his thirty-three years old self could not ignore the risks he had come to recognize with years of experience.

He was taking care of the last laundry load when he heard one of the babies whining through the monitor, waking up about twenty minutes ahead of schedule. He swiftly entered the living room to check on the quads and ran into Joohyun ushering a barely aware, lavender-dressed Taehwan back to sleep. Chanyeol and he implemented a color system to identify them from afar in case of emergencies, allocating a particular range of shades to each one: blue was for Minhwan, red for Seunghwan, purple for Taehwan and orange for Younghwan.

(Of course, like the Ninja Turtles because Chanyeol had the mindset of a kid and he had been unfairly persuaded with toe-curling kisses).

He let the pair of high-tech monitors over the counter, confirming the hour to calculate how much time they had before lunch, and approached her.

“Why aren’t you with your sister?” Baekhyun softly asked his daughter. “We’ll be leaving in a hour or so...”

She puffed her cheeks and politely dismissed the matter with an evasive justification. “They’re speaking about some of their past classmates, so I thought it’d be wise to give them privacy.”

They walked to the kitchen and she sat on a tall stool. He stood behind her, playing with her hair in an absent-minded way.

“I thought you’d use the pretty dress uncle Kyungsoo got you the other day, the one that goes with Dahyun’s. You two surely are into confusing people nowadays.”

“Onee-chan wants to wear one of the kimonos Momo and Yui brought along…”, she sighed, lips curved down, and Baekhyun squeezed her shoulder, encouraging her to open up. “I’ll go like this. I hope that’s okay, I wouldn’t like uncle Soo getting angry.”

It was a classy pastel blue dress, which exuded a vintage vibe with its tulle layered skirt and Peter Pan collar. It was most likely a present from Chanyeol’s mother, and it did make her look fantastic, though Baekhyun would have preferred Kyungsoo’s denim dresses.

“You look precious, baby girl. Why would he get angry for that?”

She had her hair down past her narrow shoulders, free and temptingly waving, and Baekhyun offered to braid it as they waited for the babies to wake up at last. He gathered a bunch of the daisy hair pins he had purchased the other day he had gone out, and started adorning her crown with them in a tiara-like crescent. Regardless of how grave his inner turmoil was, simply looking after his daughters was enough to placate any unreasonable fear.

“You know that your sister loves you, don’t you?”, Baekhyun said, timbre gentle and soothing as if singing. “She’ll have a lot of people in her life, but that shouldn’t discourage you or make you feel neglected. You’re her twin sister, a different type of soulmate and friend—you two are amazingly strong and brave on your own, but you’re ten times better when you stay together. Don’t forget that, sweetie.”

Joohyun was quiet for a while. “I know onee-chan loves me, and I love her, too. But her friends are a bit intimidating and I can’t communicate well because of the language barrier. It’s frustrating. They’re an important part of her life that I can’t genuinely appreciate or relate to...”

Baekhyun had forgotten that neither Momo nor Yui spoke Korean, and felt rightfully foolish for not thinking about it.

“Onee-chan’s been struggling to adapt to the change of environment, since it hit her harder than she excepted”, Joohyun was tactful and empathetic as she expressed herself, and Baekhyun always enjoyed listening to her thoughtful point of view. “I know spending time with her friends helps her cop with everything. I just wish I could help her more, papa… She’s my sister, I should know how to help her.”

Baekhyun was rendered speechless for a moment, and then the heartfelt confession got him a giddy smile. “For Dahyun, knowing you’ll support her through anything it’s enough… So, cheer up, baby girl. It’s your day after all—we have to make a big deal out of it.”

“Appa is home”, they heard Chanyeol faintly announcing, probably aware of the time and the fact that his sons were still asleep.

He first pecked Baekhyun’s forehead as the smaller finished the last touches of Joohyun’s hairstyle, and when there were not skillful fingers treading the strands, he smooched his daughter’s cheek. Carrier and daughter were too engrossed in their hushed conversation to observe the scrawny figures trailing the tall man, or the pair of adults standing at the doorway.

“Oh, Joohyunnie does look pretty”, one of the boys commented, startling Baekhyun and their daugther, and Chanyeol grinned from ear to ear when Joohyun’s eyes sparkled in recognition. “Hello, I’m Taemin and this is my dongsaeng, Taeyong. We’re Joohyun’s friends. It’s nice to meet you, Joohyun’s papa.”

A silent Kyungsoo approached and left a flashy gift box over the counter. His boyfriend’s walk was merry as he followed him, drapping an arm around his waist.

“They’re my nephews, Baek”, Jongin loudly clarified and Kyungsoo gently smacked him, pointing at the sleeping bumps a few meters ahead. Jongin grimaced. “Ah, sorry—happy birthday, Joonie. I can’t believe you’re eleven already. Time surely flies by.”

Baekhyun gaped at the pair of boys who polited bowed to him, those who he had met when they were mere not older than one year and six months respectively. From his perspective, he could see her daughter’s ear-shells, and the tips had turned a cherry red.

_Well, isn’t this interesting..._

“The pleasure is mine, Taemin, Taeyong... Please take good care of my beloved daughter”, Baekhyun answered with a sunny, courteous beam. He patted his daughter’s back and she hopped out of the stool to hug her uncles, her meek smile turning into a brilliant grin.

“I thought you were in Seoul”, Joohyun whispered when she stood in front of Taemin, shy and nervous, and his gaze was kind and attentive as he zoomed in on her.

Baekhyun felt a spark over the common line of likability, an urgent sensation of genuine affection for the sweet kid. He possessed a natural boyish charm that swiftly captivated people, and Baekhyun could not help but marvel how it had trapped his own daughter.

“Uncle told my omma about your birthday party and we couldn’t miss it! He picked us up this morning, though he forgot the time of our arrival and was pretty late. Uncle Kyungsoo got mad at him for that”, and the adults chuckled when Jongin’s protest fell on deaf ears.

“Where is Dahyun? We’d like to congratulate her”, Kyungsoo mentioned and Baekhyun wordlessly pointed toward the corridor, eyes set on studying their visitors. Kyungsoo frowned, hawkish eyes zeroing on Baekhyun’s eccentric expression. “Is she busy or something?”

“She’s with her friends... Chanyeol, why don’t you get her?”, Baekhyun mindlessly asked, and his boyfriend excused himself under his friends’ curious eyes.

Baekhyun concluded that Taeyong was more reticent. When Joohyun welcomed him with a heartfelt hug, a gestured she rarely conceded to people outside her family, he restrained himself from showing explicit emotions. He seemed focused on carefully studying his surroundings instead of effortlessly molding into them, just as Taemin was doing.

When the younger boy relaxed inside his daughter’s arms and displayed a mild smile, Baekhyun wanted to embrace him. “We heard you’re not an only child anymore. Isn’t it great? You’ve always wanted siblings, Joohyun-ah.”

Joohyun nodded with enthusiasm before taking Taemin’s hand and Taeyong’s elbow, eagerly dragging them towards the opposite end of the living room. They sat down in front of the eclectic bookshelf from Baekhyun’s former apartment, where they stored the memory albums and favorite photo frames from both family sides. His height almost reached the ceiling, and it exposed many wonderful mementos, such as the recovered photo from their first anniversary in Jeju.

“Onee-chan is a bit busy right now”, Joohyun said in a honeyed tone, the bow of her lips so wide it surprised her carrier. “You’ll like her a lot! She’s the best sister in the world.”

Baekhyun was still in a stunned silence when Chanyeol returned and sat by his side, offering him a glass of water and telling that Dahyun would appear in a brief moment. He had not even noticed when Kyungsoo and Jongin had lazily moved to sit with their nephews.

“I didn’t remember Jongin’s nephews... Isn’t Taeyong almost a year older than the twins? We went to Taemin’s birthday when I was heavily pregnant and he was so tiny then...”, Baekhyun started, unsure, amazed every time he risked a glance towards the kids and saw Joohyun bashfully smiling at Taemin. “I’m surprised, though... In mean, shouldn’t you be getting all jealous and protective? They’re boys—cute, charming boys.”

Chanyeol chuckled and he sounded quite ashamed.

“Joohyun met them during a road trip a few years back and, believe me, I behaved so pettily then. I was mean to them because they were everything she talked about, and tried anything in my power to upset them so she could see they weren’t that great. I hid their favorite toys whenever they weren’t around, sprinkled itching powder on their underwear, offered to unwrap their ice-popsicles only to let them fall on the ground, and I even sneezed on their food if they felt like sharing it with Joohyun—”

“Christ, I’m in love with an idiot”, Baekhyun muttered in disbelief. “Yah, Park Chanyeol, they are children—”

“But I realized that Taemin and Taeyong are great kids, and they’re the only true friends Joohyun’s ever made by her own”, Baekhyun’s gaze mellowed as he grasped Chanyeol’s hand; he knew the other stupidly blamed himself for their daughter’s timid personality. “The girls we invited today, Seungwan, Naeun, Mina… the main reason they became somewhat acquaintances is because they’re my employees’ daughters. They’re nice and Joohyun has fun with them, but she always looks more comfortable around Jongin’s nephews.”

“Well, I think it’s good that they’re so important for her. Better two true friends than a bunch of hypocrites―not that I’m saying that her friends are ones”, Baekhyun rested his cheek against his boyfriend’s comfy shoulder, and trembled under his inquisitive, intense gaze. “I wish you were still all jealous and unreasonable... then I’d be the cool dad that they seek after whenever they need dating advice.”

“Dating?” Chanyeol’s eyebrows shot high, and his eyes exhibited utter confusion, as if Baekhyun had summoned a barbarity. “Who said anything about dating? They’re still too young for that—and Taemin and Taeyong are just her friends.”

“There it is—my adorable, jealous giant”, Baekhyun’s eyes twinkled. “We’re not bullying little kids, though. Do you understand?”

“Don’t be delusional, Baek. They’re just friends. I’ve known them for a while and I’m positive of it”, Chanyeol insisted.

Baekhyun pursued his thin lips. He glanced forward and caught Joohyun blushing from all the way up from her neck to her scalp as Taemin animatedly narrated their train trip. Jongin and Taeyong were looking through the photos of the quads’ birth (Baekhyun knew that scrapbook like the back of his hand) and Kyungsoo was admiring the babies as they napped, a tender emotion moving his fingers in a soothing tapping. Joohyun had let her guard down and it was clear as the day that she was love-struck.

“Yeah, I must be seeing things”, he sharply exhaled, rolling his eyes as his boyfriend marked his triumph with a hearty grin. They heard rustling of sheets and faint, wordless protests, indications that their boys had begun to stir.

Chanyeol rotated his shoulder until a bone-cracking noise resounded. “You take Young and Seung, and I’ll take Tae and Min.”

They started their team work with the unwavering accuracy of experts. They cleaned their hands, picked the slightly uneasy infants up and brought them to their room after calming them down. They washed their face with lukewarm water before proceeding to change their diapers and pajamas, and have a short session of tummy time.

“Jojo, where are you?” Dahyun’s question popped about two minutes later. She peaked inside her brothers’ room and left briefly after not finding her sister with them. Suho was tracking her, but stayed behind, flipping his tail in excitement upon hearing the babies awake.

The parents were sitting on the floor in front of the laid out changing pat, where they arranged the babies, and they heard Dahyun rushing when she spotted her sister and her friends in the living room. Baekhyun perceived the leveled voices of Momo and Yui as well, and it seemed they were practicing phrases in Korean to chitchat with Joohyun, which reminded him of why he adored those two.

Due the familiar, high-pitched squeak Joohyun let out, they could guess Dahyun had thrown herself over her without delibarating. Dahyun was laughing in ecstasy, and it pleasantly tickled her parents. There was nothing as fullfilling as witnessing the sheer happiness of their children.

“Jojo, Yui-chan and Momo-chan prepared a kimono for you―with pretty red pandas because I told them those are your favorite animals. We’ll look so great!”

Baekhyun’s secret grin enlarged when Dahyun introduced herself to the strangers, picturing Joohyun’s orbs lightening in absolute pride when her sister swore how meeting her twin was the best adventure she had experienced. He inwardly welcomed the glorious serenity as he renewed his motions. He adjusted a babbling Seunghwan near his legs, speaking directly to his face and doing funny faces so he would mimic him. His fingers were lively and swift as he worked on the dirty diaper, half-heartedly listening to the conversation outside. He was becoming really great at multitasking.

“Did she say kimonos? They’re not wearing kimonos at the aquarium—” Chanyeol protested, but his boyfriend gestured him to keep his voice low. He rubbed Taehwan’s butt with cream, airing it as he regarded Baekhyun with a pensive frown. “Baek, come on, you know that wouldn’t be appropiate.”

“Those aren’t kimonos per se, but summer dresses that have some details taken from the pattern of one. They wrap around the upper body, they have wide cuts for short sleeves and the skirts fall straight over the knees”, Baekhyun explained as he tenderly massaged Seunghwan’s chubby legs and slightly lifted him to check that his new diaper was in place. He reached for Younghwan, who had accidentally rolled away, gently dragged him closer and gave him a clean diaper to keep him entertained. “Yui’s mother is a designer and she personally made those pieces for them—they’re beautiful. Our daughters will look amazing.”

“I thought those kids didn’t like Joohyun”, Chanyeol confessed and his boyfriend aimed a plush-toy at his face. His boyfriend spluttered in indignation, though could not help but smile at Baekhyun’s restored mood.

“Momo and Yui are wonderful girls, but they’re as coy as Joohyun, in their own particular ways”, he stated, smiling when Suho sat behind him. “Of course they’d like Joohyun―if she’s Dahyun’s friends, then she’s theirs as well. They just need time to get along.”

“Aren’t you chirpy all of the sudden?” Chanyeol asked, returning their sleepy Taehwan to the mat and handing him a rattle. He picked a grinning Minhwan up to unfasten his pastel blue onesie and the baby giggled, momentarily dazzing him; Chanyeol still thought he looked like himself when he was happy, though Baekhyun stubbornly disagreed. “Ehem―you sounded like you were about to lose your mind when you called. I was...worried.”

Baekhyun shrugged, noting Chanyeol’s fascination, clicking his tongue because he could easily read what was on his mind. “It’s our daughters’ first birthday together. I can’t be anything but cheery, of course. I was just a little nervous, but I’ve moved past it”, he puffed some air in Seunghwan’s bare belly and his son wriggled his toes, laughing. “Right, Seungie? Papa has to be happy—”

Just then, Seunghwan shot a feeble stream of pee towards his face, and Baekhyun’s semblance turned incredulous. He quickly sat up, cleaning his scrunched nose with a wet wipe.

“Now, that’s what I like about having sons”, his boyfriend teased, barely holding his snickers back. He blew the warm whoosh of his laugh around Minhwan’s tummy and his son curled his feet, taking his nose and smiling widely. “Seungie got a good aim, right, Minnie-ah?”

“Shut up and keep working, Yeol”, the smaller grumbled, but ended up grinning after seeing Seunghwan’s delighted eyes blinking up to him when he was bringinng Younghwan closer, again. “Aw, next time you do that to appa, okay? He still thinks that Minnie looks like him, but no, Minnie looks like papa when he smiles.”

“Guys, Luhan and Sehun are already over there”, Kyungsoo informed, cautiously peering inside. “They said Naeun and Mina are with them.”

“We’ll be all set in ten minutes”, Baekhyun promised, changing the octaves of his voice and recovering his poise. “Get the girls ready—tell Momo and Yui that Mina speaks Japanese, too. It should motivate them.”

“Your mother is here as well, Chanyeol!” Jongin shouted and Baekhyun sighed, expression souring at the information. Chanyeol’s mother was still difficult; she had become more prudent with her opinions, but never missed an opportunity to politely imply that Baekhyun should re-do anything according her standars.

Chanyeol kissed his neck, his words soothing as he whispered a soft _I love you._

* * *

Many bystanders gawked at them as the big group made their way through the installations. Chanyeol and Baekhyun were transporting two babies in their comfortable twin-carriers, since the aquarium was not precisely stroller friendly, and people could not will themselves to avert their intrigued eyes as they rambled inside facilities. Baekhyun could not understand why, but seeing them enchanted a horde of busybodies and compelled them to get closer. It was good that Kyungsoo and Sehun were there to chase personal-space trespassers away with their unamused, cold-hearted glares, and that Jongdae had the saint patience to explain why children should not crowd newborns.

At some point, a guy asked them if the had not thought about considering putting his kids in the advertising business, and Baekhyun fought down an insult even though it riled him up. People were lucky that his Chanyeol was kind and composed.

“It’s because you look gorgeous, our daughters are precious darlings and our babies are absolutely cute”, Chanyeol tried to appease him. They were waiting for the girls, who were in the bathroom with Chanyeol’s mother, while the rest of the group had gone ahead (they could still hear Luhan, Minseok and Jongdae’s uproar though).  
  
If anyone was deserving a scan-over while carrying kids between them, it was Chanyeol. He had a simple fit button up, jeans and casual shoes, but the outfit looked godlike-perfect on him. Having a baby in pastel blue at his broad back and another in lilac plastered against his chest did not affect his manly charm; if anything, it increased the artless appeal.  
  
And God, did Baekhyun want to cry. He felt gravely underdressed in his worn-out jeans, white tank top and Chanyeol’s checkered shirt he had come to adore.

“Yeah, I must look incredible with hideous eye-bags and corpse-sharp cheekbones—not to mention the bony form I got from the after-birth diet the nutritrionist put me through”, Baekhyun bitterly rebutted and his partner stopped cooing at Youngwan, who had opened his pretty eyes and was reaching for his long fingers.

“Baek, you look tired, yes, but you’re not sporting hideous eye-bags nor your face has sharpened uglily. You’re still as handsome as the day we met—and you’ve put a lot of effort into taking care of your body so you could be in shape after the pregnancy. You did it for the sake of the babies, and for yourself”, Chanyeol leaned and kissed his lips, resting their foreheads together. Baekhyun would deny later that he blushed like a teenager. “Don’t feel anything but proud, okay? We love you like this— _I_ love you like this. I just want you to be content with yourself for you’ve done great things.”

“Ash, shut up”, Baekhyun responded, pecking Younghwan’s apricoat hat. “Your appa is such a sap, Youngie… but”, Chanyeol paused, and Baekhyun lightly shoved him. “I love him so much for that.”

The children participated in most activities the aquarium offered with their uncles, Jongdae and Jongin being the most enthusiastic within the adults, and they assisted to the animal shows until hunger made the children’s stomachs roar in objection and they decided to set out. They left for a tranquil spot at the beach when the afternoon felt less hot, and filled picnic tables with the feast Kyungsoo and Chanyeol had prepared the night before. They sang happy birthday and let the kids play around until their parents came to pick them up.

“You look like you’re about to burst from happiness, Dada”, her father told her as he served her some water. Her grin was wide, bright, unashamed.

“I’m happy that Momo-chan and Yui-chan had finally adopted Jojo under their wings as well”, she pointed towards the group, and the said girls were all around each other’s as they attentively listened to Baekhyun explaining the next game. “They liked Mina and Seungwan very much! Naeun, not so much—she acts too strange around Taemin-oppa, and I can’t accept it. I’m on Joohyun’s team, of course.”

Chanyeol was easily influenced by her radiant mood, though he did not understand what she meant by that. “That’s so great, princess. I’m glad that you’re having a good time. I’m happy to celebrate this day with the two of you, one of my greatest blessings.”

Dahyun winked. “You’re so silly, papa! But we love you like that... To the moon and back”, she recited it in the hand language, turning around and leaving him a bit awe-struck because his daughter did get Baekhyun’s easygoing personality.

Speaking of which. “Giant, come here! I don’t have a partner for the game! Hurry up!”

Chanyeol was so happy. After hrowing a glance behind him, towards the carefully covered strollers, he tackled his partner into the sand.

Baekhyun and Chanyeol assigned Jongdae and Minseok as their quads’ babysitters while they shared quality time with their daughters. They gave them piggy-back rides around the shore, threw them on the sea to start a water battle, feed them cake and million sweets, and exhausted a Polaroid camera with their endless captures. At the end, Joohyun and Dahyun were so tired, Chanyeol and Yifan had to carry them towards the parking lot.

Chanyeol was the first to retire for the night; he took the quads home in their newly acquired Highlander, which they had managed to afford thanks to Yifan’s financial counselling. Yifan and Jongin left briefly after, when Jongin’s nephews finished gathering the girls’ presents; Momo, Yui, the twins and the two boys were with them. Baekhyun stayed behind with the rest of the uncles to clean, saving the remains of food in lunch boxes and recollecting the trash. The cars drove away when all the tables were mostly clear and everything else had been packed.

The remaning thing was the half-shred the piñata Jongin had made for the twins after seeing a Mexican documentary. Before Kyungsoo could throw it away, Baekhyun realized they was a single car around, and one he did not recognize.

“Where are Luhan and Sehun? They said they would give us a ride back”, Baekhyun nervously muttered. It was getting dark and the lonely beach made him edgy.

“Hm? I told Sehun to leave because Yifan assured me he would wait for us, but I don’t see him anywhere”, Kyungsoo shivered, eyes hardening when some foreign guys passed by and whistled at them, a nasty vulgarity following close. He focused on a pair of silohuettes walking by the shore, possibly a kid with their mother. “I don’t have any idea where he could be. We could wait to see if he comes back. It wouldn’t be the first time this happens.”

Baekhyun started fidgeting. “Yifan had an emergency and I let him leave with Jongin, though I didn’t understand why he kept apologizing—”, he blinked and shook his head, palming his face. “How silly of me… Uh, we can take a cab in the main avenue.”

Kyungsoo nodded, disdain distinct in his semblance as he checked his cellphone. “Yeah… I have no signal to make a call”, he put the device away and sighed. “Do you have cash for a taxi, Baekhyun? Jongin took my wallet and I only have about ten thousand won with me. I’ll pay you at home, I swear.”

“Yes, don’t worry, I—shit, no, no, my wallet’s in the quads’ diaper bag”, Baekhyun touched his pockets and groaned. “And my cellphone, too. Fuck.”

His companion looked rather exasperated.

“Well, I have enough for two fares”, Kyungsoo said, taking out some coins and a few wriggled bills. “The nearest station is about twenty minutes from here. We should get going.”

Before they could part, however, the kid Kyungsoo had seen approached them. It was a girl of long hair in a colorful summer dress. She curtsied when they made eye-contact, and her next smile was blinding. “Mister, excuse me... but, was that a piñata, wasn’t it? Maman, come and see this! I told you piñatas aren’t weird here!”

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo were utterly confused when the mother of the girl rushed over, with an urgency that gave away how she just realized her daughter was not around. “ _Mon biquet_ , what have I told about running—”

Baekhyun paled when the woman’s face was clear under the light of a lamppost. “Yoo-Yoora?!”

* * *

Chanyeol had taken care of the quads by himself. He fed them, played with them inside the nursery, changed their diapers and fastened their pajamas, and put them in their cribs to sleep for the night at nine o’clock, taking the handful of digital monitors with him. When he was done, he was sure he would collapse at any minute from fatigue.

Even so, he had talked with the girls for a half an hour before tucking them in, even kissing Momo and Yui on their foreheads like Baekhyun usually did. Fifteen minutes before midnight and he was still awake, sinking further in their couch, hollow eyes staring at the multiple screens as he waited for his parent to get home. Suho was sleeping with his head on his lap, and he wanted to grunt whenever he heard his soft snores.

He had called Baekhyun thousand times before desperately contacting all their friends, almost dialing the emergency number when news were vague and alarming. Thanks to Jongin, he learned that Kyungsoo and Baekhyun were visiting someone they had came across on their way back, which meant they would be back later than expected. Jongin did not know much apart from it, and Chanyeol admired his ability to keep calm in spite of it.

Chanyeol was too exhausted to deal with the sudden madness and over-protection, but they were still there, swirling inside his chest. Baekhyun should have called, at least to mention he had been entertained, to spare him the deadly anxiety. Chanyeol just wanted his boyfriend home, safe and sound. He would probably act melodramatic about it when his tiredness was not about to knock him out, and Baekhyun’s security was not at stake.

Around twenty past twelve, Baekhyun entered the apartment with a wonder-struck, flabbergasted look, and the few noises he made while taking off his shoes were enough to alarm the quads. He seemed shocked when the babies outcried for being disturbed, before seizing the situation and readying himself to attend them. Chanyeol detained him on his way and they steadfastly gazed in each other’s eyes, hearts clenching at the gradually dying cries. They peered inside to see if they had fallen asleep again, and seemed their method had worked again.

“I still don’t like that baby training we do”, Baekhyun pouted, but Chanyeol was completely restless and did not look happy. The smaller knew he was at fault. “Yeol... I can explain.”

Rustling racket slipped from their daughters’ bedroom and Chanyeol pointed towards the couch before going over to negotiate with the girls so they would stay in bed. Baekhyun complied, bleary eyes following a silently fumming Chanyeol. When the apartment was finally soundless and serene again, he returned and sat with his boyfriend, mindful of keeping a painful distance from him. He did not look well-disposed per se, but heedful enough to read Baekhyun’s unsettled expression and deduce it would not be a good idea to blow up right away.

“You forgot to call me and I was so damn worried”, the giant said in murmur, repressed anger tainting his gentle voice, and Baekhyun responded with a shaky nod. “Jongin told me Kyungsoo reached him hours before, that you were both meeting an old friend. Who was it, that you thought I wouldn’t mind if you didn’t call? Why couldn’t you even send a message?”

Baekhyun frowned, “I don’t like your tone, Chanyeol. I was meeting someone you know. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. ”

“I didn’t say you were, I just wanted to know why—” Chanyeol sighed and felt his head throbbing. Baekhyun seemed reluctant to speak, so he threw the towel. “I’m too tired for this. I suppose we can discuss this tomorrow... We both had a long day.”

His boyfriend looked greatly troubled when he detected the plain acerbity. A part of Baekhyun was scared of getting into bed with a vexed, afflicted Chanyeol. He could not stomach the deprivation of corporeal contact between them, the lack of firm back hugs and fervent shoulder kisses as they shared the last seconds of the day in their sweet, prized privacy.

If his boyfriend took what he dearly cherished, it would bring him nightmares from their past, and Baekhyun did not want to revert to those mistakes.

“Yeol, wait—I’m sorry, I was just...”, Baekhyun felt conflicted about touching the matter, but it was inevitable to involve his partner.

There was one thing he had vehemently asked Chanyeol after the birth of the quads and it was honesty. In a situation like this, he knew it had to be a mutual compromise.

“I couldn’t call you. I didn’t have my cellphone with me and Kyungsoo could only send a brief message before his phone died... Please, let’s talk. I can’t go to bed knowing you aren’t—happy that I’m there”, Baekhyun braced himself for a harsh rejoinder, but it did not come.

“What?” Chanyeol turned around, more confused than anything else. When he saw the heartbroken expression of his boyfriend, breathing became harder. “Fuck, Baekhyun. Don’t ever say I’m not happy to have you by my side. I’m fucking mad, yes, but that’s because I thought I wouldn’t be able, fuck, to hold you tonight—I thought something bad happened to you, for crying out loud. Don’t you get it?” Baekhyun covered his face and tried to calm himself down. “I was going crazy here without knowing where the hell you were. I’d have died if anything happened to you—I can’t take more of that.”

Chanyeol’s ire slowly decreased as the strong emotions of his boyfriend suffocated him, and he ended up ravishingly kissing his partner against the main wall, victim of his own pent-up frustration. Baekhyun’s thighs locked around his waist, beautiful fingers strongly clasping his nape, shuddering forearms brushing his firm shoulders. Chanyeol forgot about everything else, his desire to feel Baekhyun there, with him, becoming overwhelming.

“Wait-”, Baekhyun panted after a while, eyes connecting with his partner’s passionate gaze, words not needed to understand what was going through the his mind. Chanyeol hugged him closer, and Baekhyun stole a meaningful kiss. “Let’s go to our room... there’s something I have to tell you and it’s very important.”

They thanked the heavens the children had not been arisen by their episode. Baekhyun got rid of his clothes and used one of Chanyeol’s shirts to sleep, both going under the thin cover with solemn looks. Baekhyun let himself be hugged against the delicious rhythm inside his boyfriend’s ribcage, and Chanyeol buried his nose to inhale his partner’s addictive perfume. They rarely got the chance to be together like this, their children occupying most of their time. It was the ideal reward for full-packed day.

It would have been perfect if there were not remains of their clash looming over.

Baekhyun dropped the bomb when he felt Chanyeol shifting to talk, “I met Yoora. She was in the beach...”

His boyfriend went rigid. There was a tense, insufferable silence. Baekhyun almost protested when Chanyeol’s hold became lax, but he blanked the moment he saw his stupified semblance. It was like what he had anticipated.

“What?”, and his deep voice cracked, the agony so powerful it made him shiver in fright. “Baek—you know that’s not funny. Don’t you dare.”

Baekhyun sighed. “But I’m not joking... it’s true.”

Park Yoora had gone missing when Baekhyun and Chanyeol started dating. They were on their sixteens and she was twenty-one years old. She was a comely lady of pleasant character and creative mind. She was the first person to learn about Baekhyun’s feelings for her brother, and she gave him great advice when he was too coward to even admit them to himself. She was a respectful daughter as well, never insulting or mistreating her parents, even when her mother tended to take rash measures to mold her whole life.

Yoora had been going out with a man older than her back then. Chanyeol did not like him for many reasons, mainly because he thought his sister deserved a better person, more hard-working, positive and open-minded. One day, Yoora vanished from the map, leaving a note and most of her belongings behind. It displayed a sloppy message about being pregnant with her boyfriend’s child and deciding to elope so her parents would not get on the way of their happiness. The circumstances seemed suspicious for Baekhyun and Chanyeol, who knew that Yoora would not scheme an impulsive flight without even hinting it first. Chanyeol’s parents got private investigators and police head officers entangled, but no one ever came back with positive results that could bolster their theory. It did look like she had willingly ran away.

They received a handwritten letter a couple of months after Baekhyun and Chanyeol had gotten together, and it was from her. She explained she had found courage in her own words to Baekhyun, about being fearless when it comes to love, and had followed the path she considered the best. She was doing great, but was not thinking about keeping contact because she was desperate for the freedom his mother stole from her. Since then, Yoora became a taboo for the Park family and Chanyeol’s mother worsened her attitude, channeling her hate towards possible intruders like Baekhyun.

They had pretended she had never existed, forgetting about her until that eventful night.

“Are you sure it was her?” Chanyeol asked, words almost inaudible, eyes about to pop out of their sockets. They sat up and Baekhyun felt raw misery when his boyfriend jerked his arms back, shielding himself from his touch. “Baek, you know this isn’t something...”

“It was her. She spoke to us, Chanyeol...”, he blinked a couple of tears back and hesistated before taking his cellphone from the night-stand. He showed him a selfie from an unkwon girl of big eyes and cocky smile. “She’s back from France, and she has a girl around our daughters’ age. Her name’s Nayeon.”

Chanyeol paled, sweat dripping from his bangs as his breathed turned ragged. His boyfriend took his cold hand and squeezed it.

“Why? Why is she here? Oh, God... I...”, he fell to his back and threw an arm over his eyes, trembling.

After a while, he shook his head and uncovered his aspect. He looked like a psycho at his breaking point.

“Baekhyun, I don’t need this right now. Let’s go to sleep. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

The smaller deflalted. “But Chanyeol—”

He was shown a back with a radical sense of finality. Chanyeol ignored him for the rest of the night, and Baekhyun hated that his solution had ended with the outcome he had aimed to prevent. Neither could conciliate a grain of sleep after that, shifting and moving, listening to the other’s uncomfortable respiration. They stayed in such mindless stupor until six am arrived, when it was time to wake their babies up for the first nursing of the day.

“I’ll take this, since you took care of them last night”, Baekhyun’s orbs were bloody red; he felt a heavy anchor pulling his body down when he tried to leave the bed, but managed to win over. He splashed some cold water on his way out and went to feed them, feeling the laziness Sundays usually gave him more stronger than ever.

He was returning Taehwan to his crib when he noticed Chanyeol faintly knocking at the girls’ door. Before he could ask him what the was doing, he remembered that Sehun and Luhan had offered to take the girls to Yongdusan Park, and had asked them to get ready before eight. He closed the door of the quads’ nursery as Chaneyol exited the other room, and both met in a nerve-wracking silence.

“Are you ready to talk about it?”, Baekhyun finally inquired.

Chanyeol shook his head. “Get some sleep. I’ll prepare them breakfast.”

His nonchalance annoyed Baekhyun. “Alright, be my guest.”

Baekhyun passed out from a severe wave of exhaustion when he touched their cold bed, dreaming about Yoora and their unconventional encounter. He replayed her attempet of running away in panic once she recognized him. People even thought they were intending on harassing her and her daughter when they tried to catch up, and Kyungsoo and him would have probably spent the night in jail if she had not stepped in. The car in the parking lot was them, so she offered to drive them.

Yoora said she would explain what had happened years ago if they got Chanyeol to talk to her.

He woke up four hours later, disoriented and quite anxious for missing two feedings and quality time with his kids. He found his active squad in the living room, having their play time of the morning with their smiling, thrilled father as the stereo played some relaxing music. The girls were not around.

“So...”, he stood behind the counter, elbows propping his body up, and watched Chanyeol having his fun with their little babies, performing the exercises their pediatrician―and Yixing’s husband―, Jonmyeon, had recommended. He despised the weighty awkwardness between them; the fact that it had deprived him from his morning kiss and early dose of affection deeply bothered him. “Chanyeol, I know you’re probably all baffled by this, but we have to speak about it. Yoora wants to meet you again. She’s missed you a lot.”

Chanyeol’s eyelid twitched.

“Well, I missed her a lot when you left. In fact, I needed her more than never then, but she wasn’t there for me. She can be my biological sister, but she’s not better than a stranger at the moment”, he melodiously replied, no real venom in his words. He was not hateful, but really sad, though he kept his social smile in place for his watchful sons. “I don’t think I can see her right now... Please, Baek. Drop it. I don’t want to get mad at you again.”

Baekhyun’s shoulders fell and his sharp eyes softened when he exited the kitchen. “You know I’ll support you with anything, Yeol...”, he gulped, almost feeling like he was prowling inside dissociated business. “You have to trust me, okay? I just wish you would listen to her story, because she’s not going to truly open up to anyone but you. You both were so close before... I know you want her back in your life. Please, consider giving her a chance.”

“I don’t doubt your intentions, Baek, it’s just that...”, Chanyeol sighed, bringing an irritable Younghwan into a sitting position. “I don’t think I can forgive her yet.”

Baekhyun laid down in front of Minhwan and Taehwan, who were on their tummies, eyeing him curiously as he stretched his wide, square smile for them; however, his tense shoulders and nervous fingers tapping the floor were signals of his troubled mind. He briefly looked at Suho, who whined every time Seunghwan clenched his squeaky toy.

Chanyeol’s voice was deep and sorrowful. “I’m sure I’ll get upset and rude... I just don’t want to see her, okay? Not now... so, let’s leave it at that.”

“I’ll be there whenever you need me”, Baekhyun crawled towards him and Chanyeol paused, the uncertainity in his eyes so foreign for his partner. Baekhyun pushed his shoulder with his own, and Chanyeol’s lips slightly tugged upwards, tender and forgiving. “I’m sorry for being tactless, Yeol. But if I don’t pester you, who’s going to do it? I do want you to understand how important this is it.”

“You’re so annoying, Baek”, he responded, putting Younghwan down and stealing a peck from his boyfriend. They deepened their kiss, Chanyeol caressing his nape as he whispered, “I get it, Baek... just give me time to think about it.”

Baekhyun cheekily smirked before fondly looking at their quads, moving Minhwan and Taehwan so they were facing up in the baby gym.

Chanyeol brought his partner closer, kissing his crown. “They’re growing so fast.”

“Soon, they’ll be all tall and handsome like their father”, Baekhyun joked, “and our girls we’ll be leaving to colle―”

“Baek, don’t start”, Chanyeol whined and he laughed. “I don’t need the nightmares, please. Spare me the suffering from the next few years―they hadn’t even hit puberty and I get headaches just thinking about it”, he muttered.

Baekhyun clung to him with a easy smile, thinking that Chanyeol could not avoid the topic forever. He wondered how much time it would take for him to refer to Yoora like Joohyun did to Dahyun. Deep down, he knew his daughter had learned about filial love from Chanyeol; he did not doubt he had spoken about Yoora before.

* * *

September arrived with fresh zephyrs and the Chuseok festivies inspired Chanyeol to take the twins to their hometown, adjacent to Agyang Village heart, alongside with his parents. The country area was as beautiful as it was years ago, and for the few updates Baekhyun received in form of pictures and video-calls from the Park’s old property, the twins were having the time of their lives. They visited the tea farms, the main street market and the old temple after the memorial services, always attired in the children hanboks their grandmother handed them down.

For his part, Baekhyun remained home with the quadruplets the couple of days they were not around. He had not been particularly eager to be somewhere near his parents’ tombs, or taking their babies on that trip after they had gotten their first serious cold. His holiday was tranquil―as tranquil a life with quadruplets could be―, and he was happy because he had mastered going out for strolls without any help. He had even come across a nice yoga studio with child care services after walking around with the quads.

On their way back, Chanyeol stopped to buy Chinese food from Baekhyun’s favorite restaurant, even though his mother did not support the idea. Since Baekhyun did not answer the phone when they called to ask him what he would like to eat, they assumed he was taking a siesta alongside the babies. But they could not have been more wrong.

Chanyeol’s parents were getting on the elevator when his phone rang inside his pocket. He halted his steps, the girls running past him as he checked the caller and found Baekhyun’s name on it.

“Where are you?” Baekhyun did not even let him bat an eyelash, breathing ragged through the speaker. “ _I couldn’t answer before. Are your parents with you? Are you heading back already?_ ”

“Hello, love. I missed you and I can’t wait to see you”, Chanyeol sighed, stepping inside and pressing their floor button. “Yes, they’ll have lunch with us. We’re going up, I’ll see you in a bit”, and he hang up, ignoring his boyfriend’s desperate _wait, Chanyeol_.

None of them were expecting the high-pitched, girly voice singing as they put the slippers on. Baekhyun was serving hot tea into three cups, keeping an affable conversation with the guest at their table. Chanyeol almost let the bags with food drop to the floor when Yoora stood up to greet him, freezing as well when she discovered her parents’ aghast aspects over her brother’s stiff shoulders. Baekhyun’s utterly perplexed demeanour was proof enough he had no idea why Yoora and her daughter, who was busy petting Suho’s head, were doing there in the first place.

“Welcome home, _love_... Dahyun, Joohyun, come here”, Baekhyun was clever and tried a quick damage control before the fight ensued after the crash. “This is Nayeon and she’s your cousin. Treat her with respect, she’s older than you.”

As expected, the offhand revelation rendered the grandparents speechless, and it let his boyfriend and daughters gaping in amazement. The elder couple warily eyed her with something akin animosity, but she was unfazed, her proud stance all flawless as she played with her oversized sweater.

Baekhyun strained his politic smile. “Why don’t you show her your room, girls? I think she likes Mamamoo.”

Nayeon frowned, “no, I don’t. I like Black Pink the best”, Baekhyun gently pushed her ahead. Dahyun and Joohyun obeyed their carrier in spite of how reluctant they seemed to symphatize with the girl who had begun to explain why Piano man could not compare with Boombayah. The girls bowed before giving them privacy.

Once the girls were out of the sight, Baekhyun went to pick his babies from the play mat. The heavy air was overwhelming, more horrible than it was when he first saw Yoora nd her mother discussing abouut her boyfriend, and he needed a break from it.

“I’ll be moving the babies to the nursery. There is green tea and Yoora-sshi brought delicious rice cakes if you’d like some”, he signaled to the small plates and steaming cups arranged over the table, skillfully picking Minhwan and Younghwan. “Enjoy yourselves.”

He pinched Chanyeol’s arm after bowing and shot him a nasty look, tilting his chin towards the two babies still on the play mat. His boyfriend reacted rather slowly, staring into his parents’ displeased faces before carefully pulling their sons into his chest and excusing himself as he followed Baekhyun’s steps.

“Baekhyun, I told you I wasn’t ready to see her yet”, his boyfriend growled when they lowered their babies in their shared cribs, and the smaller seemed infuriated by his implicit accusation. “Why did you let her in?”

“I wasn’t going to make her stay outside when she brought her daughter all the way over here so you could meet her. It isn’t my fault she suddenly visited today―she got tired of waiting for you and decided to drop by”, Baekhyun replied, in a hushed, agressive tone. “I’m not heartless, you know? And I tried to warn you, but you cut the call, so don’t complain about it.”

“Fuck... fuck”, Chanyeol wandered inside the room. Baekhyun looked at him with a frown, turning the crib mobiles on so the babies would be distracted as Chanyeol panicked. “Fuck―this isn’t good. Why is she here? My parents are going to eat her alive.”

“I suggest you to go out and arbitrate, then”, Baekhyun smartly proposed, to which Chanyeol groaned, falling into the rocking sofa-chair with a painful, exasperated moan. Baekhyun kneeled in front of the cribs with a softened gaze, grinning to his babies through the barriers. “I’m serious, Chanyeol. You have to face this... It’s your family we’re talking about. You love them.”

“You, the girls and the quads are my beloved family. That people... I’m starting to reconsider it”, he honestly dissented and though Baekhyun felt internally flattered, he forced a keen glance towards him. Chanyeol sighed, all bitter and burned out. “Alright. I’m sorry... I’ll get this settle down.”

“I love you, giant”, Baekhyun chirpped before Chanyeol sealed the door behind him. When he was gone, the smaller collapsed over the colorful carpet, exhaling with a heavy lump. He trembled, praying a disaster would not eventuate.

* * *

They had a huge fight the following week. The twins were having a sleepover at Mina’s house that Friday, thus Chanyeol returned to an unusually spiritless apartment. He was worn-out and in need of some repose to rest, but it looked like he would not have any of that. Baekhyun and he had been a bit skittish around the other for the past few days and he foreboded a confrotation.

His parents had left even before Yoora could explain herself. Chanyeol had really tried holding a civil dialogue with his sister, but the dismal tension between them was too strong to overlook; even Yoora seemed like she deeply regretted her choice of seeing them. They caught up with each other’s lives as a detached pair of strangers would do, frivously discussing their current interests and overall adulthood experiences, letting awkward silences swoosh through the cracks of their unrepairable colloquy. At the end, he had practically entreated her to leave, the string of hard feelings between them equally smoothering them.

Baekhyun was not happy when he saw him walking Nayeon towards the doorway, not a single hint that insinuated he recognized her as more than a little girl who had managed to gain his daughters’ approval. Nayeon asked him if she could return in a near future to play with her cousins, but Chanyeol had been so stressed, he had shut the door in their faces before Yoora could explain why that was not a good idea for the moment.

“You had issues with your sister, okay―but don’t involve kids in them. Nayeon’s nothing to do with it. I’m invinting her to play, whether you like it or not”, Baekhyun had told him before he took a pillow and a sheet, and went to sleep in the living room.

The girls instantly knew they were not in good terms when they found their carrier sleeping in the sofa the next morning, but had not openly commented about it. Instead, they had tried to get them alone that week, saying they had extracurricular activities they could not miss (Dahyun got Joohyun to take karate lessons with her, and Joohyun convinced he parents to sign them up in a ballet academy). But their plan did not work; Chanyeol left too early and returned after them, so it was mostly Baekhyun and the quads alone in their home.

“Your mother called today”, Baekhyun informed him as Chanyeol reheated the dishes he had prepared for lunch, but the no one had eaten since the girls had gone directly to Mina’s house. The smaller looked pissed off as he leaned against the refrigerator. “I think she believes I’m complotting with Yoora against her.”

“Yeah, my father mentioned something about it...” Chanyeol winced, voice rough and sore throat from over-abuse. A raising boygroup had visited his restaurant while they filmed a show, and the horde of new clients they had gotten as an aftermath was unbelievable. He was really at the brink of exhaustion. “I’m sorry, Baek... She’s been a bit paranoid. Yoora getting back isn’t something anyone of us expected. It’s hard to process.”

“I know...”, Baekhyun sighed, darting a glance around the kitchen to escape Chanyeol’s poignant stare. He knew he had already screwed up and decided to finish the job. “Nayeon’s coming this Sunday. I’ll pick her up from the station.”

A clean plate slipped through Chanyeol’s fingers and it broke into pieces. Inside his mind, a tiny voice told Baekhyun that part of their trust had crashed as well.

“My parents are coming over this Sunday for lunch. You know it, Baekhyun”, Chanyeol’s words grappled a mad, trembling tone. “What were you thinking? Do you purposely want to put that girl through hell or what?”

“Your parents are having lunch with you and I, and the quads, of course... the girls will be spending time with Nayeon, Taemin and Taeyong, who are visiting Jongin this weekened”, he punctuated and Chanyeol frowned, feeling left out. “I’m not putting Nayeon in a delicate situation... As a matter of fact, I’m saving our daughters from one. I know your mother, and I know she’s going to spat nonsense to put our girls against Yoora. That’s unacceptable.”

Chanyeol lost it, then.

“Why are you so adamant on meddling? This isn’t your issue to try to mend—stop taking decisions by yourself, because you’re in no place to give an opinion, Baekhyun!” He yelled, and the smaller man flushed in anger. “Stop trying to solve something that doesn’t concern you, damn it!”

“It is mine concern because it involves _my children_ , and becasuse it’s clearly killing you—if you don’t have the guts to face Yoora and end this drama, then I’ll do it. You’ll only push her further away with your indifference, Chanyeol. You’re not resolving anything like that!”

“Stop it, Baekhyun—you’re overstepping boundaries here.” He slammed a hand against the counter and Baekhyun staggered back. “Let me get this clear: you’re not part of this family, the Park family, so stay out of our business. If we don’t want Yoora in our lives, you have to respect it. I don’t care if you believe Yoora deserves a chance to meet her nieces, or even her nephews—I don’t think like that and I have the last word about it because this is _my_ problem. Drop it, Baekhyun. I’m serious. Just stay out of it.”

Chanyeol’s stress and fatigue were speaking for him. He did not mean to sound so hotheaded and hostile, but could not contain the explosive feelings of disquiet. Baekhyun was hurt beyond comprehension, clenching his fists as he breathed deeply.

“Yoora used to be my friend as well. I’m doing for her what you’d do for Kyungsoo or Sehun or Yifan: supporting her. She wants to patch up this whole thing and I think you should give her a chance, just as we gave each other another one. You loved her, Chanyeol. You still do, but you’re blinded by the resentment.”

“You should support _me_ , Baekhyun. I’m your partner, for crying out loud”, he hissed, throwing the pieces of ceramic into the trash and glaring at the floor.

Baekhyun was shaking, the painful anxiety making his heart beat raucously, but his mentality remained steady and staunch.

“This is my way of supporting you, you idiot! You’re in denial and your wounded pride is making you miss the opportunity to have your sister back in your life...” Baekhyun expressed in one go, and Chanyeol’s semblance turned severe, furious even. “And yes, I’m not a part of your family, but our family is tangled in this mess, so I have every right to speak up. You can’t dismiss my opinion like it’s nothing—I know it’s your problem, but since you’re my boyfriend, it becomes a problem to me! I’m your partner, it’s obvious I would care!”

“Well, perhaps I don’t want you to care so much!” Chanyeol argued back, surprising him with his booming exclamation. “Perhaps I want you to mind your own business and leave me alone. I’ve been having the most stressful days of my life, and it’d be fantastic if you could just give me some space. I don’t need my partner suffocating me, too!”

Baekhyun heard the babies waking up and he left the kitchen in a haste, giving Chanyeol the space and peace he hankered. The taller could still feel the boiling ire flowing through his bloodstream, but other tremors were quick to mingle with it; a sharp pang of guilt and the misery of upsetting Baekhyun, when he knew his boyfriend was trying to help.

After an hour of standing in the middle of the kitchen, silently cooling off, the doorbell rang. Kyungsoo and Luhan wordlessly invited themselves in, and traced a bee-line towards the quads’ room, not even sparing him a swift greeting. He could not overhear what was happening inside the nursery, but supposed that Kyungsoo would tell him about it later. Again, he was too tired to think properly or be remotely alarmed by it.

That was until Baekhyun exited the corridor, Younghwan and Taehwan secured in his arms.

“Minhwan and Seunghwan are fast asleep”, Baekhyun said. An apologetic-looking Luhan with Baekhyun’s favorite diaper bag was close behind. Kyungsoo stood with an impassive expression by their side, eyes neutral when Chanyeol furrowed his brow upon noticing the suitcase in his hands. “I’ll drop by tomorrow to see how you guys are doing.”

Chanyeol felt cold dread in the pit of his stomach. “What are you doing, Baekhyun?”

“Giving you space”, he spat tersely. “I won’t take the four with me, though I’m wishing I could—we pledged that we would split duties whenever the two of us are together, no matter how tired we are, and I’m sticking to that agreement. We’ll talk about our living situation tomorrow before the girls get home.”

He choked. “Living—what? What are you talking about?”

“I’m conviced I should move out, Chanyeol. I think we rushed into things and we need space to reconsider if we’ve taken the best decisions about our relationship”, Baekhyun’s eyes were brimming in tears, stabbing Chanyeol in both lungs. “I love you. I’m not breaking up with you... I just think we should give each other some privacy.”

“You’re doing the same thing, Baek...” he gestured to the babies and Baekhyun recoiled, hugging them closer. “Why?”

The air densed, both of them not knowing what should be said. Baekhyun was not looking at him. Chanyeol was desperate to read his eyes.

Kyungsoo interjected, then. “You two seem like you need room to take a breath. Baekhyun’ll stay in my place tonight, Yeol. Just take time to things throughly and discuss it when you’re not so upset. Han, come on.”

When the main door closed, Minhwan and Seunghwan bellowed again. Chanyeol, immobile and truly frightened for what had transpired, felt Suho nudging his knee with his snout. He went to check on his babies, feeling the same void he felt when he discovered a lonely Joohyun in the crib ten years ago.

* * *

Chanyeol was not expecting Yoora rapping on his door the next day, much less with Yifan in tow. Their cousin did not say much to elucidate his intentions, merely acknowledging what he was doing with a self-reproachful, small smile. Chanyeol was speechless, inwardly dealing with the acid betrayal, but accepted the company with a cordial nod.

“So, we haven’t hung out since the twins’ birthday—work’s been piling up, and I admit I’ve missed your senseless antics”, Yifan was casual and aloof when he started a conversation. Chanyeol’s eyebrows hid under his fringe, amazed how his cousin could ommit the elephant in the room with such smoothness. “I’ve seen the photos of the quads you’ve been uplouding. They surely grow up fast. Are they crawling already?”

“Uh, no... they’re supposed to do it after they turn seven months”, Chanyeol paused and harshly stared at his sister, who was standing in silence by the doorstep. After an awkward pause, he grunted, “Yifan, what’s the meaning of this?”

“I know you’re mad at me, Chanyeol, but I think you should hear me out. Then you can judge me all you want”, his sister proposed. There was a foreing luster in her eyes, a renowed determination molded with something akin sour maturity, and it shut the protests he was about to say.

“I heard from Sehun that you’ve gotten two babies under your care”, Yifan mused, sipping the bottle of coca he carried with him. He tilted his head and Chanyeol knew he was running luckless that day. “I’ll stay with them for the moment. Excuse me.”

Minhwan and Seunghwan were on the gym mat again, Suho resting on his back by their side, when Yifan towered over them and startled the poor dog. He struggled to pick them up, trying to immitate what he had seen Chanyeol doing, and Seunghwan objected with a shrill scream when he gripped his arm harder than intended. The presence of his sons did ground Chanyeol, who felt like his soul was slowly drifting away from this absurd reality.

Chanyeol helped Yifan to appease them and begrudgingly returned to his spot in the sofa after his cousin finally understood the basics of calming a baby. His sister was already there, in an elegant posture despise everything.

“So, as I’ve gathered, this is what you know: I dated Yongmin, I left to Europe over a decade ago and I have twelve years old daughter”, Yoora listed with her fingers and Chanyeol, dry-mouthed and slightly grumpy, nodded in his quietude. “Those tree are facts. However, there’s a lot of things you’re missing.”

“Really”, Chanyeol arched an ironic eyebrow, glancing at the digital clock over the TV to check the hour. His head hurt to the point of blurring his sight. “Look, whatever you want to say, I politlely ask you to be quick. My daughters are arriving at noon, and Baekhyun’ll be here around that hour as well. I have important things to resolve.”

Yoora’s gaze turned a bit softer for some reason. “Dahyun and Joohyun... they’re beautiful girls. You’ve done a wonderful job. I’m so proud of you, baby brother. You’ve matured well”, she confessed, and the wishful trend accompanying her listless tone made Chanyeol presume she was telling him that now in case she did not have a chance later.

“Baekhyun raised Dahyun by his own, so I only did half of the job... But that’s irrelevant here”, Chanyeol promptly cut his moment of melancholy and she tightened the lines of her mouth, but grasped the message rather easily. “So, noona, to what do I own this pleasure of having you here?”

Yoora thought about it for an instant, too long and unnecessary for Chanyeol’s impatient mind, and she lifted the corners of her thin lips in a wasted smile.

“I didn’t run away by will, Chanyeol. I was forced to leave because Yongmin wasn’t exactly a good man”, his brother seemed to be sick when her grave words were laid in the open, fingers curling firmly against his palm. “I’d have never suspected what he truly did behind the public eye. He was a gentleman at the beginning, an intellectual of notable manners and strange nonetheless endearing sense of humor. I know you thought he was too serious for me, but I found him charming back then.”

“He was fifteen years older than you, disliked half of your hobbies and didn’t treat well any of your friends—he was an old, boring and rude politic”, Chanyeol added, the wrinkles in his forehed deepening as he recalled the man’s predominant traits. “I never understood what you saw in him.”

Yoora seemed sad. “He behaved nicely when we were alone... When I think about it now, it’s obvious there was something shady about him. I mean, he was so possessive and distrustful of others, even you, my baby brother, but I was so smitten... It couldn’t be helped”, Chanyeol mustered courage to comment about it, but the decided against it when he noticed the self-reproaching tears gathering on his sister’s long eyelashes. It pained him. “Yongmin was comprised in a political scam... you must’ve hear about it because it was a scandalous affair. They were swindling thousands of dollars out of the provincial campaign for that year.”

“I do remember about it... Baekhyun’s father was accused of being part of that, and the whole town thought it was ridiculous—his father was a simple landowner, with no connections whatsoever”, Chanyeol mindlessly mentioned, and his sister looked devastated about it. Chanyeol would have been lying if he said it did not shatter him the fathomless woe that drenched her mien. “He was declared guiltless a week later. I hardly saw Baekhyun during those days. It was a torture.”

_Like now._

“They went after him because he was friends with Yongmin”, she let out a soft breath and Chanyeol automatically clenched the muscles of his jaw, hard eyes set on studying her withering appearance. He could not believe that sad character was his self-confident, fulgent sister. “His accomplices flew out of the country when the investigation began, but Yongmin stayed behind because I refused to leave. He proposed to me one day, out the blue, and told me we would get married in Verona if I said yes—”

“Because that was your dream as a little girl”, Chanyeol supplied, consternated. Her sister seemed surprised he remembered such trivial detail.

“I kept turning him down. Around that time, Baekhyun came to me and we spoke about you... He saw us and he turned rather violent when we met up. He was so mad because I wasn’t cooperating, even after a few weeks of useless bribing”, it was evident his sister did not desire to detail it more, the misery in her stance betraying her real emotions. Chanyeol promised himself he would respect however far she wanted to go. “When he found out I was pregnant, he threatened me... He knew a lot of people from gangs and I was afraid he would get to you guys, so I left with him. I thought it was for the best.”

Chanyeol lowered his stormy eyes, pondering the meaning of all that, swallowing the frustration, the wrath and the grief. “Noona... the last thing you’re supposed to do when someone is abusing you, it’s dealing with it alone”, his tone wavered and Yoora shook her head. He slowly broke down. “I was there, noona. Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You were just a kid, Yeol—there was nothing you could’ve done. You were in love for the first time, living a sappy teenage dream with Baekhyun, and I just wanted to protect your innocence”, she distinguished the jumble in Chanyeol’s perplexed gaze, and it sent a pang like an arrow through her chest. “Life wasn’t that bad, though. I was bestowed with a beautiful daughter and she grew up to be a fine, whimsical young lady. Yongmin and I got separated when Nayeon turned five because he was seeing a another woman. He sent us from Marseille to Vitré because he wasn’t taking the risk of sending me back when I knew so much about him... I searched for help and finally found a way to get back. At the end, everything worked out for the best.”

“Oh”, Chanyeol dumbly muttered. He played with his fingers, cracking his brain for something smart to say. “I have no ideas where those places are. Is, uh, Vitre a good place?”

“You were never good with geography, baby bro—and, yes, Vitré was wonderful. We lived in a small guesthouse that looked like a fairy-tale cottage, and our companions were mostly delightful”, Yoora easily reverted to her happy self, as if she had not revoked the most painful memories they had ever shared. He could tell it was pretended. “Nayeon always said that it looked like a bigger version of the Sleeping Beauty’s house.”

There was an intermin quelling, and neither seemed ready to resume the conversation.

“I... I’m glad you’re fine, noona”, Chanyeol whispered, feeling like he was a scowlded kid again. He was not crying, but his sister wanted to comfort him. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you were in pain. I wish you’d have trusted me, but... I get it.”

Yoora suddenly enveloped him, firm and genuine, and Chanyeol let everything go, mournfully sobbing against her shoulder. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you became a father, or when you faced your first heartbreak... I’m sorry, Yeol...”

* * *

“How are you supposed to blow a baby’s nose?” Luhan wondered, legs crossed as he scrolled through the articles in the web-site. Baekhyun was humming a lullaby for the twins in his arms as they waited for Yifan to come down, and blatantly ignored him. “Like, they’re so tiny and frail... I feel like their grey matter is going to leak out. How did you do it when the twins were babies, Baek?”

“Luhan”, Kyungsoo sighed from Baekhyun’s side, rolling his eyes. “Shut up.”

“That’s nasty”, Nayeon pointed out. She was seated behind Luhan, beside Baekhyun, so she leaned ahead to read over his shoulder. “Uh? Who is Sehunnie baby—sparkly heart, heart with arrow, sparkly heart—and why is he saying-”

“So, Nayeon, tell us about yourself. How is growing up in France?”, Luhan fired, quickly dropping his cellphone over his lap. Baekhyun paused his ministrations and quirked an eyebrow, and Kyungsoo was downright judgemental as he looked at Luhan. “Ehem, do you like it more than Korea?”

Nayeon blinked, falling back into her seat. “France is my beloved motherland and it’s very different from here. The food isn’t as spicy there and the cheese’s so great, and there are so many little coffee shops, pâttiseries, gardes and small castles to visit. The only thing I didn’t like was when père visited us because he always made my maman cry—he never treated her well”, she pursued her lips, thinking about it. Baekhyun, Luhan and Kyungsoo grew uncomfortable. “He’s a scary man. I like Korea because is just the two of us here getting lost in fish markets and exploring the beaches. Maman even took me to Black Pink’s fan meeting.”

“Nayeon... your _père_...” Kyungsoo started, gulping down when Baekhyun closed his eyes, as if he was not ready to hear o see what would come. “Did he ever... hit you? Was he violent with you?”

“No, maman always protected me”, Nayeon said a bit carelessly, though they could see the flash of hurt in her twinkling eyes. She smiled through it and the three of them felt like screaming. “It’s okay. He’s far from here and we’re safe, so I shouldn’t worry about him.”

After a pause, Luhan said, “Chanyeol’s talked to her sister. You’re up, Baek. Good luck.”

“Are we picking up Danie and Joonie now?” Nayeon asked, a self-sufficient smile on her lips. “They’re going to swoon when they find out I got them tickets for Mamamoo’s concert. If that doesn’t make me the best cousin in the world, then I don’t know anything about life!”

“You’re not even fifteen years old”, Kyungsoo commented. “What could you possibly know about life?”

“I’ve been in ten different countries, I probably know more than you do.”

Luhan hooted as Kyungsoo narrowed his eyes.

Baekhyun gratefully smiled at her and hopped off the car, the babies in his arms fussing more as he walked through the main entrance. Yifan was exiting the elevator with Yoora, who seemed to have more color under her facial features.

“Thanks, Baekhyun...”, she kissed his cheek, eyes full of affection when she briefly glanced at the babies. Baekhyun felt a knot tightening around his neck, so he did not respond. “I owe you so much... And I hope you can forgive me for bringing you both so much trouble. May everything turn for the best.”

* * *

The quads had fallen asleep after being reunited for a couple of minutes. Chanyeol commented the pair of twins under his watch had been particularly restless before sleeping the night before, which was the exact predicament Baekhyun had faced when he had parelallely tried to put them to rest. It should have been puzzling their unorthodox connection—or apparent connection—, but they were not even nonplussed. They kids were specially normal like that.

“Are you still considering moving out?” Chanyeol asked. His voice was atypical; it did not carry any rage or desperation, but a profound sentiment akin to melancholia. Baekhyun was helping himself with a glass of wine, eyes immersed in the red liquid licking the crystal. He did not answer right away. “Love...”

“I’m scared we’re not doing things correctly, Chanyeol”, Baekhyun admitted in a mousy tone, putting the bottle down. “We just got together and we’re already living under the same roof... I feel like we should’ve waited until Dahyun and I got used to moving out of Japan—”

“This isn’t about Dahyun, Baek. I know she’s been doing well, in spite of the difficulties. She’s spoken to me about it—Joohyun’s been a great support for her and she’s happy”, Chanyeol rashly stated, making the other wince and drop his gaze. “This is about you. Why are you backing off now? I mean, I know... I’m aware I went overboard with everything I said to you that night and I’m really sorry about that. I was stressed and I hurt you with things I didn’t mean... I’m sorry, Baek. I did behave like an asshole. You’re irreplaceable and indispensable to me. Your love and care keep me going when I’m about to give up.”

Baekhyun played with his wine, slowly rotating the glass as he thought. His chest felt lighter, and the glistening tears rolling down his cheeks were enough answer for Chanyeol.

The smaller got a bit braver. “I know you were angry and acted like a jerk, and I’ve already forgiven you for it. I understand that maybe I was being too insistent about it and the thing about suffocating you left me querying... Perhaps we need to get our separate places first—we’re practically starting over and we just thoughtlessly jumped into this arrangement. I know we’ve come to find a routine, but I believe it’s becoming overwhelming that—”

“Let’s have sex”, Chaneyol easily suggested and Baekhyun almost broke the glass inside his hands. His eyes comically widened as he glanced up at his boyfriend, terrified as if he was seeing a ghost. “We’ve not been exactly active since the quads were born. Fooling around it’s out the question—let’s go all the way. We need it.”

“What—have you lost your mind, Chanyeol?! The quads are sleeping over there!” He gestured to the corridor but his boyfriend did not heed him, cornering him against the counter. Chanyeol’s sinewy arms captured against him, reducing his escaping options. His orbs were hooded and Baekhyun felt himself warming up under the intense, half-lidded look. “The girls could arrive at any moment... Yeol, please... this isn’t...”

He whimpered when his boyfriend pressed closer. His rationality died a little as warm whispers from Chanyeol fanned his cheeks. He felt his toes curling inside his slippers.

“I told Yifan to take our daughters to the cinema, and the quads are going to sleep for two hours straight. Enough with the excuses”, Chanyeol puffed a hot breath against a sensitive spot under his ear and Baekhyun felt pleasant shivers hitting his already wobbly legs, grasping his partner’s forearms with his quivering fingers. He panted. “We’ve both been so distracted lately... I know our arragement isn’t ideal, but we can figure a better solution. Right, Baek? Together, as it should be.” He sucked on his collarbones and every ounce of his willpower disappeared as Chanyeol started stroking his hips. “Come on... we just need to get it out of our system. Let me spoil you. Let me show you how much I need you by my side.”

And Baekhyun surrendered, stealing a deep kiss from his boyfriend and going pliant as he was hoisted, thighs clenching his boyfriend’s waist. He was willingly taken to their bedroom, where Chanyeol demonstrated him how he still had the qualities of a surreal lover.

* * *

“I can’t believe we’re moving out”, Baekhyun was sitting in front of Dahyun, and there was a considerable amount of printed ads stacked between them. The perky girl was checking them with eagerness, grinning to herself whenever she saw something she deemed interesting. “I’m going to miss this place... it was the quads’ first home.”

“Baekhyun, I swear to God your sons are as stubborn as you”, Chanyeol groaned, popping behind his boyfriend and bringing him against his sturdy chest. Baekhyun allowed the other’s generous hands to knead his lower back as their owner kissed his nape. “Taehwan wouldn’t let the other sleep with his babbling—I told you those puréed apples tasted weird. I’m sure they had sugar on it and it affected him.”

“Stop being melodramatic, the purée was fine. Taehwan’s being just very active today”, he replied, sighing when his lover sneaked a hand under his shirt and caressed the gradually fading scar from his c-section. To his luck, it was healing well. “Yeol...”, he warned him when the touch turned dangerous, almost sensual.

His lover smiled and retraced the path of his hand with his happy fingers, hugging Baekhyun closer.

“I like this one!” Dahyun showed them the picture of a two-floors, small house with a modest facade in a traditional style. It was in the corner of a quiet neighborhood, near Sehun and Luhan’s building. “It has four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a garden... that’s enough space for all of us, right?”

“Hey, that’s actually pretty... let me see it, princess”, Chanyeol received the paper from his daughter and Baekhyun snorted.

“I thought you didn’t want to do this, Yeol.”

“My whole family is planning to move—I’m not staying here by myself, of course. I’m not that attached to this place anyway”, the taller hummed, hooking his chin over Baekhyun’s shoulder and displaying the photos of the house in front of his lover. Baekhyun’s eyes vibrated in anticipation as the strong arm grasped his waist in equal joy. “In fact, I can picture us living here for real. This would be the girls’ bedroom, with the ceiling mosquito net they said they wanted hanging from here and the walls in a light turquoise...”

“And my Bohemian bedding!” Dahyun was quick to suggest. “And the fur bean bag!”

“And the plush carpet in pastel pink you promised me, appa”, Joohyun softly requested, peering over his parents’ shoulders to examine the photos. She had a box of candies for her sister and her in her hands.

Baekhyun nodded deamily, starry eyes visualizing the room full of the twins’ personal mementos as Chanyeol went on. “This can be the nursery... I think we can get Yoora to paint it as a forest, like the one you saw that day, Baek. She’s always been into that stuff.”

“We’ll lend a hand”, Joohyun dutifully promised, sitting by his sister’s side and clapping in excitement. “Oh, we could glue a galaxy on the ceiling so it would shine at night—”

“We should do that in our bedroom, too”, Dahyun proposed and Joohyun covered her mouth as she giggled. “We’re obviously paiting some turtles in the babies’ room, right?”

Joohyun’s eyes sparked. “And a pirate ship like the Going Merry.”

“Now, those are my girls”, Chanyeol roared in happiness and they high-fived each other. The carrier chuckled.

“That would be the studio, and this would be our room...”, Baekhyun guided his index to the last room and tapped it, feeling his lover back-hugging him. “We should sell the bed and get a futon, Yeol. Seriously, it’d do wonders to ease my back pains.”

 _The back pains that you’ve been giving me_ , he meant to say. He knew Chanyeol understood the subtle message because the embrace became more gentle, even intimate.

Dahyun was watching them with her cheek plastered against her kneecaps as her sister asked for the papers. “Papa, appa...”, she called and they quickly looked at her with attentive eyes. Joohyun also glanced her way and she was beaming. “You two look very happy. It’s nice.”

Baekhyun beckoned them closer. The girls exchanged a mischiveous look and practically jumped on them, sending them tumbling backwards. In a minute, they were a mess of limbs and laughter, and the coziness surrounding them felt glorious.

* * *

Yoora and Yifan were on babysitting duties that weekened, which meant they had to take care of three young girls and four six-months old babies. It was a favor they did for Chanyeol, who was recompensing Baekhyun for the true ataraxia he had given him.

After a three-hours trip in train and a short bus ride, they arrived to the the skirts of their hometown. The place was like Baekhyun remembered it: green, secluded and peaceful. It perpetually smelled like rain and it was fresh thanks to the abundant vegetation. The houses were small in size, and together they looked like an ancient villa from a movie.

They left their light luggage at the Park’s old residence, were many of Chanyeol’s and his firsts were buried, and went hiking through the dephts of the woods until they made out the unmistakable hill. Chanyeol attempted to keep the mood light with his positive remarks about the familiar people and their unaltered habits, but Baekhyun was hardly responsive, all mechanical and mute as they trekked the steep slope. Trees, bushes, rocks, even the sounds of animals... everything was the same.

“So... we’re here”, Chanyeol breathed out, warily admiring the burial mounds around the graveyard. For a land of corpses, it was strangely lively; the meadow was healthy, ample and well-mantained, with blossoming flowers and occasional singing birds. The statues were in a good shape, as well as most of the gravestones.

The afternoon was low, the bright color of the sky dying in a melancholic orange. It was chillier than expected, but perhaps that was a psychosomatic reaction from his part.

Baekhyun’s legs were ridiculously hefty as he trudged towards his parents’ tombs. Chanyeol dragged his feet behind him, shivering from the dense atmosphere of the graveyard. He had visited it with the girls during the holiday, hence he recognized the wilting flowers in the old vase by their tombs. They had cleaned the engraved stones from leaves and dirt before giving Mrs. Byun’s her favorite magnolias, for beauty and gentleness, and a beautiful pair of hibiscus for Mr. Byun. The twins prayed for their grandparents while Chanyeol longed for his boyfriend to be there with them.

_“Why does papa never mention anything about our grandparents?” Joohyun asked while they returned, lifting the skirt of her dress with anticlimatic delicacy._

_“Papa says they weren’t very close and that he didn’t like them... but I know he’s lying because I heard him crying at nights, muttering how much he missed them”, Dahyun answered and Chanyeol stopped walking, feeling like he had received a punch in the guts. “I think papa’s still very hurt for their death... but he doesn’t acknowledge it.”_

Baekhyun lowered the bouquet he had put together with his knowledge of hanakotoba, the Japanese language of flowers, which his mother had taught him meticulously. It had a white chrysanthemum for grief, daffodils for respect and sweet peas for goodbye.

“Hello, omma, appa...”, he sighed, casting a desperate towards the silent Chanyeol. His boyfriend did not say anything, standing meters from him, wordlessly encouraging to confront it. Baekhyun gripped the hem of his sweater. “It’s been a long time. I’m sorry for not coming earlier... You both know I’ve never been an stellar son.”

The memories were harrowing. His parents truly were a happy, blessed couple when he was a child; his mother’s character was firm but loving, and his father was witty and thoughtful. However, they outgrew their honey-moon phase around his adolescence and his father started feeling trapped by their wedlock, even when his mother was still madly in love with him and did not change her pleasant details. He was reckless and did stupid stuff to gain their attention. At some point, their frays were not centered on themselves and their sinking marriage, but they included him, and whose fault it was he had not turned to be the marvelous son they had enviosioned. They wanted him to be a renowned lawyer or a well-known doctor, or to look after their land if he did not desire to pursue those careers, but Baekhyun had revolted them with his determination to create his own path.

Sometimes, he wished he had told them he wholeheartedly loved them, even after all the hardships and challenges they push him through. The antagonism he had been bearing for so long would have never burdened him if he had been completely honest with them from the beginning. If he had admitted he missed his parents’ affection, and had fought to get them overcome their differences.

That was a wound that would never heal properly, but he could try to dress it until it became tolerable.

“I forgive you, omma, appa”, he bowed, hot tears blurring his sight. He bowed and fell on his knees when the force of his words knocked the air out of him. He heard grass crunching as Chanyeol kneeled by his side, tenderly encasing him and whispering sweet nothings into his ear. “I’m sorry if I wasn’t the son you expected me to be, but—but you should know that I’ve found my happiness like this. I hope you two are finally happy wherever you are. Rest in peace.”

He bawled for an hour straight inside his lover’s arms. Chanyeol shared his tears, kissing his forehead and repeating how much he loved him. When he was physically and emotionally drained, Baekhyun noticed his chest felt weightless. He took Chanyeol out of the graveyard with another respectful bow for his parents, smiling as they raced like kids out of the woods.

That night, Chanyeol made love to a brighter Baekhyun. It felt like they both would combust as they gave themselves to each other.

“You know what, Yeol?”, Baekhyun absently whispered as his lover cleaned him with a warm rag. He was sleepy and divinely sated, and Chanyeol listened to him in a similar enraptured, post-lovemaking state. “I’ve never been surer that you’re the love of my life... I’ll never find a love like this—not that I’d ever want to let go. Not again... you’re mine. _Forever_.”

Chanyeol chuckled to himself, tearing up a bit, pecking his boyfriend’s lips. “Sleep, Baek... tomorrow’s going to be big day. Oh, and don’t forget I love you more than you’d ever know.”

Baekhyun clung to his neck and forced him to lay down. 

“ _Hey you, guy with the pretty smile, you, aaaah, you are a man that makes me go crazy..._ ”, he sang and Chanyeol laughed as Baekhyun finally succumbed to his fatigue. 

“I suppose our daughters aren’t the only Mamamoo’s fans in the family, then.”


End file.
